Fallout: Unforgotten
by Sephiro117
Summary: Takes place after Fallout: A path best not taken. Amata has tracked the Lone Wanderer to the Mojave Wasteland. New Wasteland means new dangers but there's one individual she should avoid at any cost.
1. Welcome to the Mojave

**AN: Welcome the second book Fallout: Unforgotten! Now to any of my new readers I recommend reading Fallout: A path best not taken before reading this. Also I recommend subscribing so you know when I post a new chapter as some already know I'm not exactly consistent with my chapter releases. (Which I will try to be in this one but no promises!) and now without further delay chapter 1: Welcome to the Mojave.**

The sunlight beamed down unforgiving rays of heat and light on the young traveler's desperado hat, but that was the least of her worries. What caught her concern were the ropes that bound her hands tightly behind her back. She futilely struggled to free herself which drew attention to one of her captors.

"There is no point squirming." One of them said.

"It is foolish to tell a worm not to squirm when that is all they do." Another said. He walked over and kicked the struggling captive over knocking off her black desperado hat over revealing the red headed woman underneath. It has been a while since Amata left the Capitol Wasteland in pursuit of her friend the Lone Wanderer. She tracked him all the way across the vast lands that was once called America in the pre-war era but was now shadow of its former self. No matter how far and fast she chased she always seemed to be one step behind the Lone Wanderer, even hearing some of his heroics that he performed as cross the wastelands and sometimes even cleaning up some of his messes she ran into along the way. Amata thought the Roman-era idiots in the football gear were the later.

'I can't believe I was so careless.' She scolded herself as she glared up at her abuser.

"This one still has fight in her." He remarked as he shoved her with his foot.

"Then she shall make a great wife to the lucky officer who gets her." The other jested.

"Just imagine the great warriors that will come from her." The other laughed.

"The hell I am! I rather die!" Amata proclaimed.

"This one also has a mouth." Another one of her captors bemoaned as he stepped on her head. This one however seemed to be in charge as the other two straightened up immediately acknowledging his presence. Also there was the fact that he wore the biggest head gear Amata reasoned, it was one of the few things she had picked up on in her travels. The bigger the headwear the high up on the ladder they were.

"Why haven't this one been fitted with a collar yet?" He questioned with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"We were just about to do so." One captor said as he pulled out an explosive slave collar. Amata saw it and immediately renewed her struggle to free herself.

"You're not putting that damn thing on me!" she grunted as she rope dug deeper into her skin. Struggle as she might she had to admit that they knew how to bind their captives.

"Then stop wasting time recruit, we need to keep moving." Their leader barked as he applied more pressure to Amata's head.

"What is the rush Decanus? Our scouts haven't even returned yet." The other captor said moving to assist.

"It is because they haven't returned yet. We need to get back to camp." He retorted but as best as he could disguise it Amata picked up on it. It sounded like fear but what was it he was afraid of? Amata soon got her answer.

"And they won't be coming back anytime soon, oh and that camp? Just a smoldering pile of charred cloths and sticks." A voice echoed around them. Amata could see that she just became a small footnote in their minds as they soon grouped up with their backs to each other obviously planning to counter the chance of an ambush, whoever they are they weren't the average run of the mill raider, Amata noted. They soon gathered their weapons, the two recruits had throwing spears whereas their Decanus had a machete. An eerie calm could be felt all around them with only the hot desert breeze moving a tumbleweed pass them as they waited. Suddenly breaking the silence was a song.

' _To the town of Aqua Fria rode a stranger one fine day, Hardly spoke to folks around him didn't have much to say'_

Amata heard a faint rhythmic jingle of metal matching that of footsteps and it was obvious that her captors heard it too.

' _Hardly spoke to folks around him didn't have too much to say, No one dared to ask his business No one dared to make a slip'_

Soon the figured from which the music was originating from step from behind a nearby boulder facing her captors.

"For the stranger there among them had a big iron on his hip." He sang along as his right hand hovered over his Ranger Sequoia.

' _Big Iron on his hip.'_ The radio chorused. Amata could see the group tense up upon recognizing the stranger and the beads of sweat on the two recruit's forehead were not from the blazing heat.

"It was early in the morning when he rode into the town, he came riding from the south side slowly looking all around." He sang along to the radio which Amata noted came from a Pip-boy on his arm. He slowly but aggressively took a few steps forward and for each one he took the football geared captors slowly took defensive positions.

' _He's an outlaw loose and running came the whisper from each lip and he's came to do some business with the big iron on his hip.'_ His radio sang, it was then the scene before Amata seem to fast forward. In a speed she hadn't seen before the stranger pulled is Sequoia and fire three quick rounds fanning the hammer with his left hand. The two recruits never stood a chance as two .45 caliber rounds slammed into their foreheads killing them instantly the Decanus on the other hand was spared due only to experience and the headgear he wore as the round meant for him skimmed the left side of it because he moved his head. The fact that he escaped death so narrowly didn't weigh on him or Amata couldn't tell if it did or not because he immediately broke into a charge quickly closing the gap between him and the stranger. The stranger fired once more this time the round hit the Decanus in his shoulder but it wasn't enough to stop the attack as he swung his machete. Amata turned her head and closed her eyes to spare herself the sight of a beheading after a moment she turned back expecting the stranger to be headless and her captor standing over his corpse but the sight that greeted her seem still like a painting. The trajectory of his swing should've cleaved the stranger from his left shoulder to his right rib cage and it would have if the stranger hadn't performed a simple side step pivoting on his left foot and now he stood perpendicular to his attacker's right side with his Sequoia aimed at the side of his head.

"Of all the things-" The stranger didn't give his opponent the honor of finishing his last words as he pulled the trigger sending the final bullet in its chamber into his head. The Decanus body went stiff and fell to the ground and like a dog that was finally fed the ground absorbed all the blood that had splattered.

' _Big iron on his hip'_ his radio chorused but before it could began the next line of the song the stranger cut it off.

"I never get to the end of that song." He sighed as he holstered his weapon. What he did next seemed to match the Lone Wanderer's actions. He began going through his former opponents pockets looking for valuables.

' _Looting…he's looting.'_ Amata thought in utter disbelief. She started struggling to free herself while the stranger was occupied. Either he was completely oblivious to her plight or he simply ignored her as she struggled he continued on ransacking the other corpses.

"I can't believe you assholes only have 52 caps, 3 Aureus and 10 Denarii between the three of you, what a waste." He complained as he kicked one of the bodies. Amata weighed her options which weren't many and hoped that the stranger wasn't some crazed psycho.

"Excuse me, you seem to be a reasonable individual can you help me out?" she asked raising her bound hands behind her. It was then the stranger seemed to have taken notice of her and walked over to her.

"Depends, you got any caps?" he asked looking down on her questionably.

'Figures.' She mentally sighed. "They took it when they captured me, you looted it off them." Amata answered.

"So that's a 'no'." he sighed as he unholstered his Sequoia and loaded one .45-70 gov't round. He spun the chamber wheel and with a flick of his wrist slid it into place. Amata couldn't believe her luck, she renewed her struggle to free herself when she heard an audible sound of a hammer hitting an empty chamber causing her to freeze. She looked at the stranger wide eyed his black leather armor didn't make him any easier to see with the sun at his back but she thought she saw a faint sign of amusement. With a shrug of his shoulders he holstered his Sequoia and noted Amata's desperado hat laying on the ground next to her. He picked it up and placed it on his head and with a tip of it he stepped over her and walked off towards the horizon. Amata couldn't believe what was happening to her, fighting the urge to was energy screaming a slew of curse words after the thief she call after him.

"Can you at least tell me which way to the Mojave Wasteland?" she yelled.

"You're in it, Welcome to the Mojave." He yelled back leaving her to bake in the unforgiving sun of the Mojave Wasteland.

 **AN: A bit of a rough start for our protagonist! Don't worry you'll be seeing 'The Stranger' again real soon (say next chapter.) Thanks for reading and check back for new chapters soon!**


	2. Bad Luck in Goodsprings

**AN: In what I can only describe as an explosion of creativity moment I've written another chapter right after the first one! So here's chapter 2 of Fallout: Unforgotten.**

It was a hot day in the Mojave Wasteland and it was even hotter since Amata no longer had the shade of her desperado hat to shield her from the sun's heat rays. She spent the majority of it crawling on the red hot sands towards the machete the Decanus had dropped and the corpse was starting to attract critters as she cut herself free. Now the sun was beginning to set behind the mesas in the far distance as she set after the stranger who left her stranded and at the mercy of the unforgiving Mojave sun. The last visage of the sun had begun to cast it orange glow against the purple sky when she came upon an old western town.

'Goodsprings' the worn interstate sign read as she walked past it. The lights of the Prospector's Saloon was the first thing to catch Amata's eye and the thought of a nice cold glass of water flashed into her mind. She tiredly lumbered up to the saloon's door and her ears were immediately assaulted by a loud roar of laughter. She pushed open the door slightly to get a peek at the culprit and was surprise to find that it was the same stranger that had left her to die in the desert and with her hat sitting on the bar counter next to him. The saloon was empty except for the poor bartender who was forced to listen to his horrid tale.

"Alright, so this guy was screaming for me to help him and he's being chased by these little baby deathclaws. Now you know me, guess what I do?" he asked his sole audience.

"You told me this story before, please just pay for your drink." The bartender moaned knowing he would simply ignore her.

"So I kneecap him! Oops!" he erupted into another roar of laughter. "So these tiny deathclaws are gnawing on him and he's screaming bloody murder and it attracts the mother! Ah oh." He continued.

Amata had heard enough, she quietly slid into the saloon and held her index finger to her lips to signal the bartender to be quiet. It was obvious that he was completely enthralled by his own tale of the unfortunate man that he hadn't notice Amata pick up an empty beer bottle off a nearby table. Amata raised it high above her head and brought it down quick. The bottle shattered on contact with the stranger's head causing him to stop mid-sentence. The look on the stranger's face was replaced with a look of confusion before he stood up, he had managed to get clear of his stool before collapsing unconscious on the bar floor.

"Holy shit, I can't believe you just did that." The bartender whispered.

"That'll teach him to leave a helpless individual out in the desert." Amata spat.

"Aww honey if that's all he did to you, you should count yourself lucky." The bartender said sadly shaking her head as she started cleaning up. Amata could only look at her questionably as she proudly reclaimed her hat.

"Your face is almost as red as your hair, here have a drink." She said grabbing a glass and filling it with water.

"But I don't have any caps." Amata answered remembering who took them, she gave the unconscious stranger a small revenge kick.

"Robbed you too? Yeah definitely count yourself lucky, don't worry it on the house. Consider it as thanks for saving me from having to listen to another retelling of his exploits. The names Trudy by the way." The bartender introduced herself as Amata took a seat.

Amata gladly accepted the drink of water and quickly gulped it down not forgetting to savor every drop of it. The nagging feeling of curiosity was soon poking her in the back and she decided to ask Trudy her question.

"So, who is he?" she said looking back checking to see if the stranger was still unconscious. When she turn back to face Trudy she had the look of seeing some abstract horror on her face as she froze as still as a statue.

"Please tell me you're joking." Trudy nervously pleaded.

"No." Amata answered suddenly getting a knot in her stomach.

"Please tell me you're going to kill him." Trudy asked as beads of sweat started to appear on her forehead.

"I-I wasn't planning on it." Amata answered disturbed at her reaction.

"You got to move him, Now!" Trudy yelled.

"Wait, what's the problem?" Amata asked trying to make since of Trudy's sudden panic.

"You honest to god have no idea who you just knocked out?" Trudy asked incredulously.

"I don't know who he is." Amata said with a straight face.

"He is The Courier." Trudy said pointing at the unconscious man.

"He's a courier? Like delivers packages?" Amata asked a bit dumbfounded.

"No honey _**THE**_ Courier, as in he delivers your soul to the devil. Now get him out of here, I don't want him in here when he wakes up and you don't want to be in the same wasteland when he does." Trudy informed her.

Amata immediately went to pick him up but found he weighed heavier than he looked. She motion for Trudy to come help but the bartender didn't want to be any further involved than she already was. Trudy disappeared out the backdoor and soon came back with a young female close to the same age as Amata with dark orange hair. The young woman took a look at the situation and pointed back and forth between the unconscious Courier and Amata signaling if she really did the act to which Amata nervously nodded yes. The young woman could barely contain her laughter as she spoke.

"You poor unlucky bastard, why the hell would you do such a thing?" she laughed.

"Less laughing and more lifting." Amata grunted as she tried picking him up.

"Alright, I guess it's the least I could do besides this asshole shot Cheyenne now she's not the same. Names Sunny Smiles by the way." Sunny introduced herself moving to help.

"Amata, now where can we move him?" Amata asked grunting upon lifting the unconscious man.

"Oh, I have one place in mind." Sunny smiled.

The sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon and the full moon cast a faint light on them as Amata and Sunny carried The Courier up a hill to a nearby abandon gas station. Trudy brought some rope from Chet's store to tie him up, it was Sunny's idea to hang him upside down.

"Alright, I recommend high tailing it out of here, and getting to the next town. That be Primm just follow the road the signs should guide you there alright. Oh and stop by Chet for some supplies word spreads quickly about what you did and I'm sure he would be more than happy than to give you some supplies on the house." Sunny suggested.

"If he's as bad as you say he is. Why not just shoot him and be rid of him?" Amata asked.

"It's a bit complicated, long story short he's a necessary evil to have around." Sunny answered.

"Oh, Sunny say what you really want to say." The Courier said groggily as he began to regain conscious scaring the two of them.

"Well it was nice knowing you." Sunny noted quickly exiting the gas station leaving Amata alone with The Courier. Even tied up and hanging upside down he still seem to give off an intimidating aura.

"You might scare these people but you don't scare me." Amata told him.

"You just saying that betrays what you're really feeling on the inside." The Courier smirked or frown from Amata's perspective.

"I see you like my hat." He noted nodding towards her head.

" _ **YOUR**_ hat? This is mine, which _**YOU**_ stole and then proceeded to leave me out there in the desert with my hands and feet bound." Amata retorted.

"You know, you're absolutely right, and I am truly sorry for that. Now if you would be so kindly as to cut me loose, I would be more than happy than to make it up to you." The Courier said with honeyed words but Amata spent enough time in the Capitol Wasteland to know when ones words are coated in venom.

"I would, but then you would probably kill me, so my answer is no." Amata answered with a smug.

The Courier let out a sigh, "Yeah I definitely would, I mean I'll torture you and make you an example and then kill you. Cause what's life without a little bit of torture?"

"You're sick you know that." Amata scolded.

"Ding, ding, ding you're are the 200th person who's not a doctor to say that to me." He retorted. Amata could only cringe in disgust.

"I hope we never meet again." Amata told him as she turn to leave.

"Oh, never say never. We're bound to meet again whether face to face or me looking at you through my sniper scope but we'll going to meet again." He yelled after her as the door closed leaving him all alone.

' _And she didn't even leave me something to cut myself free with.'_ He thought as he began struggling against his restraints.

Sunny waved Amata over she was standing next to middle aged male with salt and pepper hair.

"Don't you have something to give her Chet?" Sunny hinted jabbing him in his rib cage with her elbow.

"I don't see the point, he's just going to kill her, a waste really. _Oof._ " Chet grunted as Sunny jabbed him in his rib cage again. He begrudgingly gave Amata a small knapsack of supplies inside was some fruit and bottle water along with two cases of .357 rounds.

"What's these for?" Amata asked holding up one of the small cases.

"For this of course." Sunny answered handing her strange looking rifle but it reminded Amata of the lever action rifle the Lone Wanderer once owned.

"What is this?" she asked inspecting it.

"Wow you're really not from around here, that's a Cowboy repeater. Push and pull the lever to chamber rounds, look through the little hole to look down the sight. Everything else you'll have to learn on your own." Sunny informed her as Amata went through the motions.

"Now if you're done wasting time. I say you got a good five hour head start until he gets loose so stop wasting time." Sunny suggested.

"Alright, thanks for the supplies, but before I go anyone know where I can find the city of lights?" Amata asked.

"Damn tourist." Chet complained before walking into his shop.

"Don't mind him, he's still sore about The Courier robbing him last week. You want New Vegas if you want to waste time, which I don't see why you would want to, you can see it from the graveyard that's over at the water tower. Just watch yourself if your heading there it's a tourist trap some people actually use it to trap tourist if you catch my meaning." Sunny warned.

"Alright noted, thank again for everything." Amata thanked as she started to head out of town.

"Just try not to die." Sunny yelled after her.

"With The Courier on her ass I doubt she last." Chet said from inside his shop as he locked his doors.

"You're a real asshole you know that Chet." Sunny scolded.

 **AN: Thanks for reading and I hope you are liking the story so far, now admittedly I did have some inner conflict with myself as to whether the Courier should be evil or good but I also didn't want him to be a copy of the Lone Wanderer from the previous story so to see how he turns out I suggest reading the next chapter!**


	3. Aggressive Compromises

**AN: Alright chapter 3 of Fallout: Unforgotten. (Yet another chapter written during my creativity explosion) and I'm starting to tire out but don't worry as soon as I'm all rest up I'll be back to writing chapters in no time!**

As Amata began her walk out of town she saw the water tower Sunny mentioned. Despite her instinct yelling at her to simply keep moving she reasoned that she could spare a few minutes to at least catch a glimpse of the famed city of New Vegas. She diverted from the road and headed towards the water tower, as she climbed the hill leading to it she could see headstones sticking out of the top of the hill and once she reached the top she was greeted with an incredible sight as the full moon hanged high above the cloudless night sky Amata could see the city of New Vegas shining like a beacon in the darkness. It was almost as if the city was calling out for her, offering her safety and fun.

' _Was this what he wanted to see? Is that where he ended up at? Regardless I have to go there it's the only lead I have.'_ Amata thought, unknowingly to her the city's lights had acted as a Siren's call and she had subconsciously started walking towards it and had clumsily fell into an open unmarked grave. The fall snapped her out of her trance and the grave served as a stark reminder that someone was out to kill her even though that particular individual was currently tied up in the abandon gas station. Amata pulled herself out of the grave and dusted herself off. She had enough sightseeing to last her a while and secretly hoped no one saw her fall in. She picked up her pace in hopes for lost time and was quickly back on the road towards Primm. Amata was use to the sounds of night in the Capitol Wasteland but it was different in the Mojave. Coyotes howled in the distance and geckos brushed against shrubbery as they hunted for their meals all together they told her two things. One she was no longer in the Capitol Wasteland and two she was not alone but what concerned her was a small distinct sound of metal jingling but her mind was quick to dismiss the obvious and chalked it up to first night paranoia. It wasn't the first time her ears had played tricks on her when she walked the wastelands at night but she had learned to overwrite the shivers that would make their way down her back. However she couldn't overwrite the surprise feeling of terror when a dark figure leaned against a sign showing the way to Primm. The dark figure took out a match and lit the cigarette in his mouth revealing the one person Amata could've gone several life times without seeing, The Courier. The faint orange glow of embers from his cigarette was the only light that showed his face. Amata quickly pointed her cowboy repeater and readied herself for a fight.

"Oh come on, put that thing away. It insulting really." He told her as he took a pull from his cig. Amata dared not to move hoping that the darkness gave her some cover, but that thought was quickly squashed as the Courier moved with the same lightning fast reflex as Amata saw earlier with her captor and soon she was looking down the barrel of his Ranger Sequoia.

"Now, you know and I definitely know, you would be dead right about now. If was going to kill you, I would've done it when you hilariously feel into that open grave, which ironically was to be mine back in Goodsprings." He pointed out as he let the smoke escape from his lungs.

"Plus I really don't like guns being pointed at me." He added menacingly as he placed his thumb on the hammer of his revolver.

"Any chance we can simply go our separate ways?" Amata asked.

"I don't know, is that what you want?" he retorted eyeing her cowboy repeater.

"I just want to look for my friend, I heard he might be in New Vegas. I was in no way looking for trouble." Amata answered slowly lowering her rifle in hopes to get him to do the same.

"Well trouble has a funny way of finding you out here in the Mojave, whether you want it to or not." He stated as he began to slowly pace back and forth.

' _Great, this guy is a nut job!'_ Amata thought, as she watched him pace.

"In the ten minutes it took to free myself, by the way you suck at tying knots, I thought of about 20 different ways to kill you, but in the eight minutes thirty-five seconds it took to get my stuff back and smash Trudy's right hand with her lovely radio she likes to listen to. She told me you had no idea who I was, which then presented me with a conundrum. Can I kill someone who was completely outside the loop and given what they know now would they've done it in the first place? So I figure let me simply ask her. So would you have done the same thing knowing what you know now?" he asked stopping to look Amata in the eye.

"I would've gone about a different way in getting my hat back." Amata answered him. In hindsight it seemed stupid for a hat that cost her 10 bottle caps.

"Yes, the hat, the next subject to talk about." He noted nodding to it.

"Can't you just buy your own?" Amata pleaded.

"Yes, but it wouldn't be your hat." He reasoned.

Amata reasoned that it would be pointless and stupid to fight over a piece of head wear and he would probably take the hat off her corpse anyway, so with a heavy sigh she removed her hat and tossed it to him. He caught it with his free hand and placed it on his head.

"I do think it looks better on me anyway." He noted.

"Has anyone ever tell you that you're an asshole?" Amata asked.

"Four hundred-fourteen you'd be four hundred-fifteen." He noted giving it some thought, he stepped aside and waved her through.

"Enjoy your stay in the Mojave." He said tipping his newly acquired hat as she walk by.

"Asshole." She muttered under her breath.

"Four hundred and fifteen." He grinned with his cigarette.

Despite losing her hat Amata breathe a sigh of relief but soon discovered it was made prematurely. As she walked along the night road toward Primm she soon heard the familiar rhythmic sound of small metal hitting the pavement. She glanced behind her and saw the Courier following 30 paces behind her, whenever she stop he'd stop and when she started again he'd start again. It was a tactic straight from the page of Butch and his Tunnel Snakes.

"Can you not do that?" she asked him.

"Do what?" he replied innocently which only annoyed her further.

"Whatever happened to going our own way?" she asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"We are, I just so happen to be going to New Vegas as well and this is the safest way." He answered.

' _Great, he's going to be following you all the way there!'_ Amata mentally fumed.

"Well can you at least walk ahead of me?" she asked.

"I like the view from back here, I feel… safer with you leading." He answered with a grin.

"So immature." She started to rant to herself as she walked off.

"Fourteenth" he noted to himself as he started to walk after her.

Soon Amata could see the big roller-coaster that marked Primm's location in the distance along with a few small lights as she neared closer she saw a guard standing at his post near the entrance to the town and figured she ask him for his help.

"Excuse me but there's this guy right behind me. He's been following me from Goodsprings is there any way you could just delay him just a bit." She asked turning on her charm, she could see it working on his ego as he stuck his chest out a little further and stood a little taller.

"Sure little lady, just point him out." He ordered. When she pointed toward the Courier any sense of bravado quickly left him. Amata could see the blood beginning to drain from his face and for a moment thought to see him slightly shaking. He shot her a serious look.

"Listen lady, he's not doing anything illegal, hell even if he did. I don't get paid enough to deal with him fuck, I wouldn't deal with him for all the money in the Tops vault. Look take it from me, just do your best to ignore him and eventually he'll get tired of it, just pray he doesn't shoot you when he does." He told her as he waved her along.

' _Is everyone afraid of him?'_ Amata thought as her heart sank as she crossed the bridge walking into town.

"Needless to say asking the NCR for help is more pointless than throwing a cotton swab at a deathclaw." The Courier noted catching up to her. Upon noticing she had no idea what NCR was he let out a hardy laugh.

"You seriously don't know who or what the NCR is? And you went to them for help?" he said in between fits.

"Well I am new to the area, so the least you can do is cut me some slack." Amata fumed hoping someone would come and save her. Her wish was soon granted but not in the way she thought it would.

"You son of a bitch! _Hic."_ A disgruntle voice called out to the Courier.

' _Finally! Someone who's not afraid to stand up to this guy!'_ she thought as she looked for the bold individual. She soon saw him as he stumbled from between two dumpsters and could soon smell the reason why he was so bold.

' _Of course anyone could have the courage to stand up to him as long as they're pumped full of the liquid type.'_ Amata sighed as the disheveled man stumbled closer to them.

"57th person to call me that, 15th that is drunk at the time of saying it. Deputy Beagle how are you this wonderful evening." The Courier greeted.

" _Former_ Deputy Beagle thanks to you, Asshole _, hic_ ," Beagle drunkenly corrected.

"416th second one in the same night." The Courier noted.

"You go and get a damn robot as a fucking sheriff and the first thing it does is fire me." Beagle fumed trying to keep his balance.

"Did you seriously get a robot and made it the sheriff of this town?" Amata asked in utter disbelief.

"Well it was the best thing I could come up with, how was I supposed to know its efficiency parameters would cause it to fire him?" The Courier shrugged.

"You could've gotten a pardon for that sheriff over in NCRCF!" Beagle shouted. Amata shot him a look.

"It would've been too much work, now Deputy Beagle I think you've had too much drink tonight so how about you go on home." The Courier suggested, though it sounded like reasonable suggestion Amata could hear the venom dripping on every syllable. Unfortunately former Deputy Beagle was too drunk to pick up on the more than subtle hint.

"Drunk? I'll show you, I can still shoot straight!" to which Beagle pulled his .357 revolver and pointed at the Courier. No sooner had the sights landed on him, the Courier reacted. With the reflex of a rattlesnake he grabbed Beagles wrist and twisted it into an uncomfortable angle causing the poor drunkard to drop his gun. Out in plain view now Amata could see that the former Deputy's .357 revolver wasn't even loaded and was missing a trigger and a hammer making it nothing more than a harmless paperweight, but that mattered little to the Courier as he began punching the drunkard in the face repeatedly. He grabbed his Ranger Sequoia and was going to shove it in Beagle's mouth but he felt someone grab his arm. Time seemed to stand to a still as the Courier looked at the hand grabbing his arm and the person it belonged to. Amata didn't know what spurred her to grab his arm but something deep down wouldn't let her allow this.

"Excuse me, I believe you have my arm in your hands." The Courier said pointing out the obvious.

"I'm sorry but I can't let you do this." She told him not letting go.

"Whatever happened to you go your way and I go mine?" he asked with a low growl.

"You don't like guns pointed at you and I don't like guns pointed at innocent people." Amata answered standing her ground.

The Courier chewed on the left side of his lower lip as if giving something some thought and then he pulled the trigger sending a .45 caliber round into Beagle's right leg. Beagle's face contorted into horror and pain but before his first scream could escape his mouth the Courier released his grip on the deputy's wrist and applied it over his mouth in an iron=like vice grip effectively muffling his cries.

"The hell is wrong with you!" Amata yelled.

"Nothing's wrong with me, I have a reputation to keep and I believe we found an effective compromise to this little predicament." The Courier replied holstering his revolver to show he had no further intention on shooting someone to which only then did Amata let go of his arm. He leaned close the Beagle who seemed to have sobered up very quickly.

"Now when I take my hand away you going to thank the nice little red head for saving you, anything extra out your mouth will result in me breaking it. Understood?" the Courier asked to which his captive nodded his head in agreement. The Courier released him and backed away.

"Th-Thank you." He meekly offered.

"Now crawl back into your hole and think about reviewing some of your poor life choices." The Courier advised.

It was a sad sight watching the former deputy of Primm scurry back between the dumpsters from which he came. Even though Amata saved him she did feel the normal sense of satisfaction she normally gets from helping someone in need.

"Well. Howdy. There. Partner." A robotic voice cut into her thoughts, Amata turned to see an old protectron model slowly making its way towards them.

"Gunshot. Detected. Is. There. A problem?" it said barely half way toward them.

"Warning. Low. Battery. Shutting. Down." It sputter before cutting off.

"You made a protectron town sheriff?" Amata looked at the Courier incredulously.

"On the bright side he was the greeter for the Vicky and Vance casino so in a way he got a promotion, or an upgrade in robot terms." The Courier smirked.

 **AN: Three Chapters and not one including the Lone Wanderer, sad I know but it will be a couple of chapters before he come back into the picture. Hopefully Amata can withstand the Courier's antics till then and as always thanks for reading.**


	4. Ulterior Motives

**AN: Welcome back! Sorry for the wait, and now chapter 4 of Fallout: Unforgotten!**

The light of the sun began to peak from behind the horizon, casting an orange, purple and blue sky over the Mojave. The sight was quiet beautiful but Amata had a hard time finding appreciation for it due to how tired she was. Between thoughts on the possible whereabouts of the Lone Wanderer and whether it would be a good idea to fall asleep with the Courier about she didn't get much sleep. Reasoning that this was enough sleep she was going to get she decided to get an early start on the day. Stifling a yawn she got her things together and exited the Bison Steve hotel, when the Courier suggested the place she was skeptical but she had to admit it was better than sleeping outside in the wilderness. Amata was half expecting the Courier to pop up unwanted as he had the tendency to do, but only saw a lone old man sweeping off the front of his store, the sign above him reading 'Mojave Express'. Holding back yet another yawn she headed out of town, the air was still cool from the night but it was a welcoming change even though it wouldn't last once the sun reaches the sky. As she was passing an old pre-war highway patrol station she didn't notice the pair of eyes that watched her as she passed. Satisfied that she didn't pose any threat the individual returned to the meeting that was being held inside.

"She's on the move again." The individual reported, the individual wore the black armor that clearly marked him as an NCR Veteran Ranger. The other two he reported two nodded their heads in agreement and returned to their 'meeting' with the Courier.

"If you're done playing 'peeping Tom' can we get down to business?" The Courier asked as if he was bored.

"Watch yourself punk." The ranger warned glaring at him through the red lenses in his helmet.

"Don't give him the satisfaction of getting under your skin, and if you're done Courier give us your report." The other ranger ordered.

"What is there to report? Same shit different day, burned a Legion scouting camp and killed a few Legionnaires." The Courier yawned.

"And what about the girl?" the Ranger asked.

"What about her?" the Courier retorted.

"She came from the east, just like the other one. You can't tell me she hasn't peaked you interest." The Ranger noted.

"She's not a threat if that's what you're wondering." The Courier answered dismissively.

"Tell that to the NCR blockade he blew through, if she's anything like him we need to know. The NCR needs to know." The Ranger added.

"I surprise the NCR needs to concern themselves with the affairs of some red head, if she bothers you so much why not put a bullet in her and be done with it." The Courier shrugged.

"That maybe how you operate Courier, but that's not how we do things in the NCR. Continue keeping watch on her and inform us of any changes. We'll meet again in the El Dorado Gas & Service station." The Ranger ordered before dismissing the Courier.

The sun was beginning to rise in the sky and so was the temperature in the Mojave Wasteland, which only served as a signal to Amata that she had been walking for quite a while. With only the occasional Wasteland critter and over grown ant being a minor hindrance she quickly became bored.

' _At least with the Courier there was someone to talk to…'_ Amata mind wandered.

"I can't believe I just thought that." Amata shuttered, she approach the ruins of a pit stop and was surprise to find a lone individual laying in the middle of the road. The whole scene sent a red flag up in Amata's mind, it had to be the oldest trick in the book.

"You don't obviously think I'm going to fall for this." She called out.

No sooner had she said it the individual sat up and looked at her.

"I knew this was a stupid idea, alright she knows! We go with plan B!" he yelled out.

Amata was expecting two maybe three other but when a group of ten individuals step from their hiding spots she knew she bit off more than she could chew, and given what little cover they had left her with on her end this group had been doing this for a while.

"Alright hand over any and all valuables you got on you." Their leader demanded stepping to the front of the group, he wore some odd looking armor made of metal complete with metal spike should pads and as if to complete the set his hair was spiked.

' _Must have a thing for spikes'_ Amata thought as she eyed her robbers. They weren't well equipped as their leader but their numbers made up for that.

"I'm afraid that's just not going to happen." Amata retorted.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Alright! Time to have some fun! Go get her!" their leader ordered.

Amata fired on the first attacker nailing him in the stomach folding him in two, the second shot she fired hit another in the chest dropping her. The rest quickly grew wise and took cover before returning fire forcing Amata to dive into cover behind a crumpling brick wall. When she saw she wasn't alone she nearly jumped back into the line of fire.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Amata yelled over the gunfire at the Courier who was sitting with his back against the wall.

"45th person to ask me that." He noted as he took out his lighter and lit the cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Well since you're here, you mind helping out?" Amata begrudgingly asked as she returned fire.

"Nah, I'm sure you can handle this." He answered as he took a drag.

"We'll both die if we don't get out of this!" Amata reasoned as she took out another attacker with a shot to the head.

"Well I guess my life is in your hands." The Courier carelessly gestured with a wave of his hand as he exhaled with a small puff of smoke.

"Of all the people I could get stuck with." Amata muttered to herself as she nailed foe.

"You're the sixth person to say that." The Courier noted as he peaked from cover watching the fight.

Resigning that she would have to take care of the attackers on her own she took stock of what ammo she had left. With 7 attackers left and their leader barking out orders it wasn't going to be easy.

' _For once I'd like things to be in my favor.'_ Amata bemoaned mentally. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted with the distinct sound of a grenade landing near her, she instinctively stood up and kicked it back. The grenade landed behind a wall before detonating with a deafening boom taking 3 more attackers out of the fight.

"And then there were 5." The Courier smiled as he was enjoying the show. Amata fought back the urge to berate him and focused on the remaining foes. She reloaded her weapons and entered V.A.T.S. as time slowed to a crawl for Amata she could see her situation more clearly. The remaining attackers were moving to flank while their leader stayed back taking pot shots. She selected three targets and pulled the trigger. Everything afterwards felt automatic as she fired with deadly precision. One round found its mark in the chest ripping through his flimsy body, another round caught the other in the neck just as he broke cover. The final round exit the chamber and cut through the air and hit its target in his side severely wounding him. Just as she V.A.T.S handed Amata back control of her body she fired at the last would be flanker but missed him as he dived behind another crumbling wall.

"You missed." The Courier noted stating the obvious with a small smile.

"I know." Amata growled agitated. She quickly rushed the wall and leaped on top of it. She shoved her boot down on unfortunate man's face as he was turning to face her. She placed all of her weight on him shoving him to the ground, a small crack was heard as his nose broke under the pressure. She stepped off him and continued her assault as she turned her repeater around and slammed the butte of her rifle into his head repeatedly to the point she caved in his skull.

"Hey psycho." The Courier called out to her.

"What now!" Amata snapped at him.

"The leader is getting away." He pointed out nodding towards the shrinking figure of the gang leader running away. Amata turned and looked in complete disbelief, the gang leader had created enough distance to just be outside her range of accuracy.

"Just let him go, if the coward wants to live so badly." Amata sighed.

"Well if you're not going to kill him." The Courier trailed off as he pulled his revolver, Amata saw him take an odd stance as he rested his revolver just over his left arm. The Courier adjusted slightly for distance and wind resistance, leading his target he pulled back on the hammer with his thumb. With a pull of the trigger the hammer slammed the .45 caliber round and sent it along its way. There was a slight pause between him and Amata as they watch the gang leader flew waiting to see if the Courier hit his target. They soon got their answer as the target's head violently snap to the left and sent his body spiraling to the ground. Amata turned and looked at the Courier just as he was blowing the smoke off his gun and with a quick spin he holstered his revolver.

"Show off." Amata muttered.

"Come on, you got to admit that was pretty impressive." The Courier bragged seeking some form of praise but instead he got the cold shoulder as Amata turned her attention to something else.

' _I used up way to much ammo on this fight… I guess there's no better alternative.'_ Amata thought as she resigned herself to the act of scavenging off of dead bodies, she figured her aversion to the act was some mental tether to her old self. While she was scavenging the Courier looked at the scene of the fight and replayed it in his head analyzing it all.

' _A bit sloppy, combat effectiveness B-. Definitely some room for improvement.'_ He noted to himself. He eyed a few dead bodies.

' _Takes shots that have a high probability of hitting their target, but relies on V.A.T.S in sticky situations. Accuracy C+'_ he continued making mental notes. He soon came to the body which had the badly mutilated skull and noted that Amata seemed to avoid going near.

' _Subject seems to show remorse… or guilt? A troubled pass? This Lone Wanderer character seems to have a profound effect on her if she traveled all this way, but what for? Revenge? Love? I should keep an eye on this one.'_ He concluded.

"You're not looting this one?" he asked nudging the corpse with his foot.

"I got enough to carry." Amata answered as she took stock.

"No .357 rounds but plenty of .32 and 9mm rounds. I guess it's better than nothing." Amata noted to herself as she put the two .32 revolvers away and placed her newly acquired 9mm in her back pocket.

"Amata, are you squeamish?" The Courier asked, the question only served to put Amata on edge. She gave him an odd look before answering.

"I've seen enough disgusting and depraved things both natural and manmade so no."

' _Well she's in for a surprise.'_ The Courier thought as Amata continued down the road towards Nipton.

 **AN: Thanks for reading! I've been reading the reviews and I'm happy to see that the 'Bad Courier' is becoming an interesting character! I will be uploading another chapter soon say stay in touch.**


	5. The Legate

**AN: Welcome to another chapter in Fallout: Unforgotten! I hope you enjoy it! (as a side note, I'm excited for Fallout 4 and its November release date!) Now chapter 5!**

Amata's nose instinctively scrunched when it caught the smell in the air. As she walked towards Nipton a small whisper of wind blew in her direction carrying the all too familiar stench. It was the stench of death and decay, she tried to block the thought of an unfortunate individual who's corpse was baking in the blazing Mojave sun but as she neared the town something deep down told her something was very wrong. As she got closer the stench became more and more pungent, almost to the point of making her gag. A sour knot was starting to form in the pit of her stomach as she notice an increasing number of carrion birds flocking about. Soon she reached the entrance to the town and the sight before her suddenly had her fighting back the urge to vomit. Before her laid corpses on wooden crosses and decaying heads on spikes all of which were a feast for the birds as they peck and peeled away rotting flesh. Some were even fighting over an eye one had manage to pry from its socket. Charred corpses laid on top of one another on an extinguished pyre made of rubber tires. Amata had seen death before but never on such a scale as this. This was genocide, an entire town killed off and put on display as if it was some type of trophy.

"You would think the NCR would have gotten around to cleaning this place up." The Courier noted completely unfazed by the sight.

Amata shot him a look all the while trying to keep the contents of her stomach from escaping through her mouth.

"You didn't…" Amata started before being forced to fight back another gag.

"Didn't you say you weren't squeamish? And before you go around pointing fingers, no, I had no hand in this. This was the work of the Legion… I mean I've committed genocide before but they had it coming but that's a story for a later date." He told her.

"How far is it to the next town?" Amata asked holding her nose.

"The next town would be Novac, and it's a bit a ways from here. I recommend we stay here for the night and get started in the morning." He suggested.

"You got to be kidding. Stay here?" Amata asked fighting another gag reflex.

"There's a lot of things between here and Novac, Jackals, Radscorpions, maybe some legionaries if we're lucky." He rambled on.

"Fine, just, do you know a place where the smell isn't so… strong?" Amata asked hoping she wouldn't regret her decision.

"That would be the town hall. It's the big building with the double doors." He answered.

' _I can't believe I'm agreeing to stay here.'_ Amata thought as she approached the town hall doors. It took some effort to push open the doors and once inside only the smell of rotting wood and dirt greeted them. It was dark inside with only small beams of sunlight peeking through the boarded up windows.

The entire place was giving off an eerie vibe, creeks came from the pipes and the floor squeaked underneath her footsteps threatening to give way underneath her. _'Well at least he was telling the truth about this place.'_ Amata mused as she glanced around. The place looked like it haven't been touched for a while given the amount of dust that caked various surfaces.

"It's not haunted if you believe in that sort thing. Even spent a few nights here myself." The Courier added while opening the door to the assembly hall.

"Somehow that's not really comforting." Amata retorted as she split off in search of a room for herself.

The sun was beginning to set, causing long shadows to form and what remaining light to illuminate the dust that hung in the air. She found the stairs leading up to the next floor and each step echoed in the empty building as she climbed them. Despite the place being completely abandon there were no supplies to be found no matter how hard she looked. After exhausting all other options she settled on a room on the third floor, reasoning that it was far enough away from the Courier. The room looked to be the cleanest in the building, sporting a chair and a desk with a small covering of dust along with a soft carpet to sleep on.

"Settled on the Mayor's office did you?" a voice suddenly came from behind her. Amata nearly jumped out of her skin. She quickly spun around revealing the Courier leaning against the doorframe.

"Seriously what the hell? Do you enjoy scaring the shit out of people or just me?" Amata scolded.

"Right now? Just you." The Courier answered flashing a mischievous grin. "Well I'll leave you be for the night… or will I?" he tacked on, making ghost wailing noises as he walked away.

' _What an asshole!'_ she thought as she glanced outside. She was a bit surprise to see the sun setting so soon. "Where does the time go." She mused stifling a yawn. She put her pack down and used it as a pillow and soon sleep came despite the place she was sleeping in.

It felt like she had just closed her eyes when she heard something go bump in the night. As she opened her eyes she was greeted with complete darkness. It was a moon less night so the only light she had was the faint glow of the HUD display on her Pipboy. She was about to dismiss the noise as a figment of her imagination and return to sleep but another sound jolted her to pay more attention.

' _If he's trying to scare me again, I'm seriously going to kick his ass.'_ Amata thought reasoning that it was the Courier's attempt to scare her again.

"Explain to me again as to why the hell are we here?" A voice asked in a barely audible whisper.

"Because I've overheard reports of the Courier being sighted here with a female." Another answered.

"So you wish to spy on them consummating?" The other one asked.

"No, you idiot we've come for his head. Just imagine when we present it to the Legate! We will surely be raise up to be Decanus or maybe even Centurions." The other answered.

"Or maybe even Frumentarii while you're at it. Honestly your ambitions will be the end of you. If only you put as much work in your studies as you do in your dreams of advancement within the Legion, I'm sure they will acknowledge you in time." The other criticized.

' _Legate? Decanus? Legion? It seems like I'll need to find out more info on them if they're a major group in this area.'_ Amata thought as she quietly grabbed her belongings. She braced herself against the wall next to the door. From the sound of things there were only two but there could be more waiting down stairs. Before Amata reached for the door knob the door was brutally kicked opened. One walked in followed by the other. Both obviously missed the surprised red head standing within in arms distance.

"I can barely see the hand in front of my face. How do you expect us to find the Courier in all this darkness." One spoked.

"The darkness will work in our favor. If we cannot see him then he cannot see us as well." The other reasoned.

"Then we are just two fools stumbling in the dark then. I knew this was a waste of time." The legionnaire complained.

' _If they really can't see then maybe I can sneak out of here.'_ Amata thought as she inched her way out the door. Once sure she had some distance between them she started looking for the stairs that led to the second floor. No sooner than she found the stairs her foot stepped on a creaky board, making what had to be the most telltale noise in the building.

' _Shit'_ Amata mentally cursed.

"Did you hear that?" One asked.

"Yes, we are not alone. Do you think it is him?" his partner asked.

"Could be, or it could be his female mate." He reasoned.

"Do you think the tales about him to be true? That he lets you hear him just before he kills you?" the other asked.

"Now it is you who is the foolish one. Those are simply tales they tell to scare the recruits who huddle around the fire. If I were to take a guess I would say it is the female." He answered.

"Come out and show yourself, if you surrender now maybe you live. Make us look for you and we will make you share a cross with one of the corpses outside." He threatened calling into the darkness.

Amata ignored the threat and instead focused on staying as quiet as possible as she moved down the stairs. She could hear the floor creak as footsteps above her moved obviously looking for her. She had just got to the landing of the second floor when she heard another pair of footsteps but these where hurried rapid steps. The door at the far end of the hallway opened and another shadowy figure step through it looked like the figure was looking for someone.

"We need to go! He is here!" the figure yelled calling out into the darkness.

Soon Amata heard the footsteps upstairs brake out into a run. She quickly ducked into a side room as they were coming down stairs.

"Who is here brother?" one voice asked.

"He is! The Legate!" the other answered a bit out of breath.

"What have you damned us to!" his partner asked angrily.

"He does not know we are here. I was keeping watch when I saw his banner. I immediately came to get you two." The lookout informed them.

Amata was wondering how to get pass them when she started to smell smoke. A glance outside revealed a faint orange glow flickering at the windows. With the air around her starting to heat up one thing flashed into her mind.

' _Fire'_

Telling from the way the floor beneath her was heating up it was spreading quickly, and the three inside quickly came to the same conclusion.

"They're putting this entire building to the flame!" one exclaimed as beads of sweat started to form from the heat. Soon embers could be seen coming up from the rotting wood floor and the sound of windows being shattered on the bottom floor could be heard. It didn't take long for the fire to spread as it greedily licked at the dry interior of the town hall. Amata couldn't afford to be stealthy and pulled the 9mm from her back pocket. She came out of her hiding place firing, she managed to hit one in the shoulder and another in the leg as she attempted to clear her way. She made it halfway down the hall when the floor gave out from underneath her. She fell onto the first floor landing on her side. The smoke was thick from the fire that claimed the first floor but she could make out the three figures looking down on her from the opening she just made. They were low on her priority list as the blazing heat demanded immediate attention. She looked around and saw that everything was on fire including the entrance to the building.

' _Great, what else can go wrong?'_ Amata fumed. As if answering her thought several legionaries charged through the flame and into the burning town hall.

"Find the Courier! And kill him in the name of Legate Lanius!" their leader ordered. His eyes spotted Amata laying on the floor attempting to get up.

"And kill any other profligate that may be hiding." He added pointing his spear at Amata.

' _These people are insane!'_ Amata thought as a surge of adrenaline refilled her energy. She quickly got up and headed for the stairs to the second floor. She could hear her heart pumping in her ears as well as the footsteps of her pursuers behind her. She pushed open the doors and slammed into the group upstairs, but before any of them could recover she opened fire on the one blocking her path killing him, and ran pass the others before they could grab her. The whole she had fallen through stopped her from going any further. She instinctively kicked open a door next to her and spotted a window with no boards on it. She didn't realize what she was doing until she heard the crash and the pain of sharp broken glass cut into her skin as she threw herself through the window of the second floor and landed awkwardly on the small shrubbery below. For a moment only the night sky filled her view before her mind clicked back on telling her to get up. She rolled off the shrubbery and attempted to stand and was rewarded with a sharp pain in her right leg. She took a glance at it to see a piece of glass was sticking out of it. She averted her eyes in an attempt to block the mental image and instead looked towards the front of the burning town hall. It would soon become a decision she'd regret. Standing before the burning building stood a mountain of a man armored from head to toe in golden armor with the orange flames reflecting off of it, his mask sculptured in the image of a man but his eyes were a soulless black and it was these eyes that locked on to hers. Amata felt herself go numb and everything going on around her suddenly came insignificant including herself. She had never met the individual before but she wouldn't have to, to know he was an extinguisher of life. At that moment she was thankful looks couldn't kill if they could he would've done it ten times over and wouldn't take much effort. One of the legionaries that had snuck into the place had ran out of the burning building and fell onto his hands and knees before the individual.

"Legate Lanius-" was all he managed to get out before the Legate pulled his massive sword from his back and brought it down on the poor legionary smashing his head in and nearly cleaving the torso in half spraying blood on himself and the ground around him. It took little effort to pull the sword from the mutilated corpse as he put it back in its holding. The sight was enough for Amata's most primitive instinct to kick in and override the shock she was in and before she knew it she was running as fast as she can in an attempt to leave everything she had just witnessed behind her. When her conscious finally wrestled back control she stopped and leaned against an abandoned truck on the road and heaved.

"So much for not being squeamish." A voice noted from behind her.

Amata immediately pulled her gun and pointed it at the source. There standing behind her stood the Courier with only the light of his cigarette illuminating the features of his face. He slowly raised his hands to show he wasn't a threat.

"Given what you just went through, I'm going to overlook the fact that you're pointing a gun at me. Hell I'm surprise you even survived that. You got grit kid, I'll give you that." The Courier complimented.

The adrenaline was starting to fade from her system and the pain in her leg demanded to be addressed. Exhausted she lowered her gun and took a seat on the back of the truck. _'Just like a bandage'_ she thought bracing herself for what came next. Biting her lower lip she grabbed hold of the shard of glass and pulled it from her leg with a sharp yank. Her vision blurred as she fought the urge to pass out, she took off her jacket and wrapped her wound before tying it tight in hopes of stopping the bleeding.

"Who the hell was that?" she asked trying to find something else for her mind to focus on.

"That terror inducing hell spawn would be the Legate." The Courier answered finishing off his cigarette and tossing it to the ground.

"He leads what's left of the Legion." He added as he snuffed out the embers of the cigarette with his boot.

"The Legion, tell me everything." Amata demanded propping herself up against the trucks rusted frames.

As the Courier began, Amata couldn't help but remember something The Lone Wanderer would mutter to himself. _**No matter how big of a badass one may come across as, there is always someone bigger.**_

 **AN: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. I will be uploading more chapters soon and hope you will continue to read and review.**


	6. On the road to Novac

AN: Thanks for reading and now chapter 6 of Fallout: Unforgotten!

The sun was starting its routine of rising above the desert wasteland that is the Mojave, bringing light and warmth to the lands inhabitants. It was a bit comforting to Amata knowing she lives to see another day. Both she and the Courier had walked for the rest of the night putting Nipton far behind them. The Courier eyed Amata's leg as they walked, despite her impromptu bandaging of her wound she would still need to see a doctor, and the way she was favoring her other leg as she walked it would need to be soon.

"How's the leg?" He asked, as they walked down the deserted highway.

"Its fine, but I would want to know how far Novac is from now." Amata asked, stifling a yawn. She was tired and the wound in her leg was only putting a drain on her energy. She would need to rest soon if she was to continue on like this.

"It's still a bit of ways off, we haven't even reached the ranger station yet." The Courier noted as he check their positon on his Pipboy. "Think you'll make it there?" he added.

"Since when did you become the caring type?" Amata asked a bit suspicious of his question.

"I just want to know if you can make the walk there cause I don't want to carry you, you seem a bit on the heavy side." He noted.

"If my leg wasn't messed up I'd kick your ass." Amata replied.

"45th person to tell me that." The Courier noted.

Amata was about to retort when the sound of gunfire interrupted their conversation. They were crossing a bridge and from where the two stood they could see a gunfight going on between two groups.

"Looks like Jackals raiding another caravan." The Courier noted, he was about to continue on his way when Amata stopped him.

"Wait, you're not going to help them?" Amata asked. From where they stood they had a clear line of sight at the caravan's attackers. They could easily tip the scales in favor of the caravan, whose guards weren't faring well.

"It's an unnecessary risk, besides It'll be better to just let them fight it out, whoever is left we simply walk down there put a few bullets in them and take the spoils." He suggested.

"How do you even live with yourself?" Amata scolded as she readied her cowboy repeater and rested on the concrete barrier. "You know what. Don't bother answering that." She added after giving it some thought as she took aim and pulled the trigger. The round exited the barrel with an auditable bang and careened through the air and planted itself into the back of one of the Jackals. The others didn't either notice or they didn't care as they continued focusing on the caravan. A caravan guard caught several rounds in the chest and fell dead. Amata could tell the Jackals smelled blood as they stepped up their attack aggressively. Amata chambered another round with a flick of her wrist and took aim at one that seemed to be issuing orders. She squeezed the trigger and her repeater bucked announcing that the round was well on its way to its intended target. The round slammed into the back of the targets head penetrating the tic-helmet he was wearing and splattering blood on the helms lenses. He dropped with a thud on the ground, Amata could tell that she nailed the leader as the rest of the group seemed to paused in their advance. The remaining caravan guards took the opportunity to turn the tides and started to advance on their attackers. With no apparent leadership to issue orders the remaining jackals scattered and retreated to the desolate hills. The caravan began to regroup as Amata and the Courier made their way down toward them.

"I can't believe we made it out of that mess alive." One of the traders noted.

"Not all of us did." A guard solemnly corrected nodding to the bullet riddled corpse nearby.

"Well it can't get any worse." Another guard muttered.

"Good evening." The Courier greeted announcing his arrival.

"Ah hell, God must really hate us." The guard moaned.

"I wish it was a deathclaw, at least our deaths would be quick." A Trader sighed.

"I take it you killed your fair share of traders." Amata muttered to the Courier.

"10 last time I counted." He answered as he placed his hand on his revolver.

"Well I'm not going down without a fight." One guard growled as he tighten his grip on his 9mm machinegun.

"Whoa wait, we're not here to fight." Amata quickly informed hoping to defuse the situation.

"We aren't?" the Courier whispered.

"NO!" Amata sharply answered.

"You're no fun." The Courier sighed as he moved his hand away from his weapon.

"So who's your friend?" one of the traders asked.

"'Friend?' Please don't group me with him." Amata demanded dismissing the notion entirely.

"So… hostage?" another trader guessed.

"Try annoyed individual who just misfortunately cross paths with him." Amata suggested.

"Did he do 'that' to your leg?" a guard asked bringing attention to Amata's leg wound.

"Surprisingly, he didn't. In fact it's why I decided to help you in your fight with those thieves." Amata answered.

"Well we're grateful for your help, but I'm afraid none of us know much in the way of medicine." A Trader informed.

"No need I see you're transporting medical supplies, from the look of the Red Cross on one of the Brahman, and if you're transporting supplies chances are you are also heading to Novac. Am I right?" Amata deduced.

"Well aren't you the insightful one." One of the guards mused a bit impressed.

"If you can spare a couple of stimpaks or med-X I'd be happy to escort you the rest of the way, no charge." Amata offered.

The traders and the caravan guard gathered in a huddle to 'discuss' Amata's offer.

"We can't have her slowing us down."

"Well its better than having a dead guard."

"She did help us."

"Guys I think you're forgetting the main problem. She's with **'him'**." At that notion all the heads turned and looked at the Courier.

"How we know he won't just end up shooting us." On guard asked.

"I promise, he'll behave. Right?" Amata asked turning towards the Courier.

"I don't make promises." The Courier simply answered as he lit a cigarette.

Amata shot him a look that would make a Super mutant think twice.

"What? I don't get anything out of this." He retorted exhaling a puff of smoke.

Amata immediately pulled him to the side.

"For once will it kill you to work with me!?" Amata scowled.

"6th person to ask me that, and to answer your question, maybe it will but I doubt it." He answered taking another pull on his cig.

Fatigue was starting to take its toll and it was wearing Amata's patients thin.

' _I can't believe I'm going to do this.'_ Amata mentally sighed.

"Can you… please help me?" she asked almost gagging on the request.

' _I think I'm going to throw up.'_ She thought.

The Courier stood there. He felt like a metal encased fist hit him in the stomach. A dent in his iron resolve.

"You're the first person to say that." He told her after a long pause. "Alright, but only because you're a first." He added.

Amata couldn't believe her luck. She informed the caravan of his agreement. She wasted no time in administering the stimpaks to her injured leg. It still hurt but she was in the clear. The guards had her positioned on top of one of the brahman till her leg was better so that they wouldn't have to slow down. As they continued the sun was beginning to set. A cascade of orange, blue, and purple blanket the sky above them. Surely a beautiful sight to see but Amata only had one thing on her mind.

' _I'm traveling with an unpredictable psychopath, who obviously has no problem killing people out of sheer amusement, if we meet up with '_ _ **him**_ _' I shudder at the thought at what would happen.'_

The sun had set completely as they passed the NCR Ranger station. Amata could see the lights signaling a small town up ahead and a dinosaur head slowly rising from behind a cliff.

"Is that Novac?" she asked.

"You must be new to the Mojave, everyone knows Dinky the T-Rex." A guard noted.

As they were approaching the town a man in a red beret and a merc cruiser outfit came to greet them.

"Well it took you long enough, what the hell… kept… you." He sputtered to a stop as he noticed the Courier.

"How's it going Manny?" the Courier asked with a devilish smile.

"You son of a bitch." Manny yelled.

"58th person to call me that, 4th time for him." The Courier noted.

' _I'm starting to notice a pattern here.'_ Amata noted.

AN: thanks for reading, sorry for the wait. I've been thinking of writing another book. If I do decide to do it. It'll be after I'm done with this. I appreciate the reviews and I always read them to motivate me to continue. I'll see you next chapter.


	7. Night of the Nightkin

**AN: Welcome back to Fallout: Unforgotten! I will be making a very slight change as I plan to expand on it in later chapters. So please enjoy chapter 7: Night of the Nightkin!**

"You got a lot of nerve showing up here again." Manny scolded, eyeing the Courier menacingly.

"Ding, ding, ding! You're the 100th person to utter that phrase! Amata tell him what he won!" The Courier mocked.

"Wait a minute, what's going on?" Amata asked as she dismounted from her pack brahman. The trade caravan had just gotten to the outskirts of the settlement of Novac and already the Courier's infamy had triggered a confrontation.

"You said you would clear out the REPCONN test site." Manny argued.

"I recall you requesting me to clear out the ghouls, I don't see any ghouls around. Do you see any ghouls?" the Courier asked the caravan guards and tradesman, to which they nervously shook their heads 'no'.

"And while you were there, did you happen to see any Nightkin?" Manny asked through gritted teeth.

"When you say 'see'…" the Courier trailed off goading him.

"You know damn well what I mean." Manny yelled.

"You know we should really get going, these medical supplies won't deliver themselves." A trader told them as they continue on into town. Amata and the Courier were about to follow when Manny stepped in their way.

"I'm not letting you or your friend enter this town." He told them.

' _Why does everyone assume I'm friends with him?'_ Amata thought as she tried to think of a way to disarm the situation.

"Manny, enough games. Either you let us pass or we step over your bullet riddle corpse, and my trigger finger is really itchy." The Courier threatened. Amata could tell he was serious as his tone changed and his muscles tensed like a viper readying to strike. If she was going to do something to avoid bloodshed she would need to do it quick.

"You won't try it. Boone got my back." Manny retorted.

"Manny you are a horrible liar, its past 6pm which means Boone's up in the T-rex watching for raiders or legionnaires. He can't be watching your back from up there." The Courier countered as his hand started to hover over his ranger sequoia.

"You really want to take that bet?" Manny asked. As his hand perched itself on his 9mm.

"I really do." The Courier sneered, and with lighting fast reflexes the courier pulled his revolver fired a round knocking Manny's red beret off his head.

' _I barely saw him move!'_ Amata thought.

Manny looked like he had just saw his life flash before his eyes. His hand still resting on his pistol he looked at the Courier wide eyed. The Courier looked back with cold calculating eyes as he kept his revolver trained on him. Amata took out one of her 9mm and fired around into the air, the resounding sound snapped the Courier's concentration causing him to flinch.

"Alright you two, break it up." Amata yelled.

"Hey, he started it." The Courier muttered as he holstered his revolver.

"I don't care who did what, can't we resolve this like civilize adults?" Amata asked.

"Well I can, if he can." Manny answered picking up his red beret. He poked a finger through the new hole it had.

"This was my favorite one." He bemoaned to himself.

"Now these 'Nightkin' I'm guessing they're giving you problems?" Amata inquired.

"Yeah they've been attacking in the middle of the night. No one has been seriously hurt but it's only a matter of time." Manny explained.

"What if we took care of the problem? Would that at least allow us to pass through?" Amata asked.

"Hey, I held up my end of the bargain, why should I get dragged into this?" The Courier asked.

"Seeing as this wouldn't had been a problem if you had just been thorough." Amata retorted.

"And I was… with the ghouls. The Nightkin in the basement was something else entirely. Therefore they were not my problem." The Courier countered.

"Nightkin, in the basement?" Manny asked accusingly.

"Why am I not surprise." Amata sighed.

"Look I just want them gone. You get rid of them and we're square." Manny said eyeing the Courier.

"Alright then we have a deal." Amata agreed as she motioned for the Courier to follow.

"You should go on ahead, I need to go say hi to an old friend while I'm here. I'm sure he'd want to see how I'm doing." The Courier remarked.

"Somehow I doubt that, just don't take too long." Amata said as the split up.

' _Wait what's a Nightkin?'_ Amata thought as she headed towards the REPCONN test site.

"Hey, What does a Nightkin look like?" she yelled back towards the Courier.

"Oh you'll know when you see it." He called back.

' _Great'_ Amata sarcastically thought.

A raider was snooping around near the outskirts of Novac checking the place out, probably because he drew the short straw but to the individual looking at him from the scoop of his hunting rifle it didn't matter and in a few more seconds he'll be just another notch on this hunter's tally. Manny had picked off a few during the day and had left his tally as a challenge to his nightshift counterpart. Boone took a deep breath and steadied his rifle. He lined up his crosshairs on the raider's head, and after adjusting for wind and bullet drop he place his finger on the trigger, a signal to himself that everything was ready.

"Simple and clean." He whispered to himself.

"HEY!" The Courier shouted slapping Boone on his back causing him to pull the trigger prematurely. The shot went wild and scared off the raider.

"Damn it, how the hell do you keep sneaking up here like that?" Boone asked annoyed that his quarry got away.

"That's a Courier's secret." The Courier winked.

Boone let out a sighed, "You didn't kill Manny did you?" he asked. Boone was familiar with the Courier's approach to problem solving and when Manny informed him that he'll 'have a word' with the Courier he figure it turn out like most other times people wish to have a word with him.

"No, but he came pretty close." The Courier answered.

"Well I appreciate that you didn't, must've been hard not to." Boone remarked chambering another round and taking up his sniping position again.

"So why are you here Six?" Boone asked.

"I need you to look after someone, she's heading towards the REPCONN facility to take care of the Nightkin." The Courier asked.

"You mean the same REPCONN facility those ghouls were squatting in?" Boone asked as he scanned across the Mojave looking for his next target.

"The same." Six remarked.

"If you had been more thorough she wouldn't need looking after, Request denied." Boone answered.

"Come on, after all the times I saved your ass?" Six countered.

"Counting all the times I've saved yours, I'd say we're even." Boone replied.

"Jeannie May." Six simply said.

Boone eyed a small mole rat off in the distance and put a round into the side of its head before letting out a sigh.

"You're not going to let that one go are you?" Boone remarked as he stood up. "Alright, but after this we're even." He told the Courier.

"Sure and don't worry about your post, no one's going to come near here." Six said leaving Boone alone in the T-Rex's mouth.

The moon was full and was high above in the night sky when Amata was passing a make shift guard station. Heading towards the REPCONN facility the darkness of the surrounding area began to play tricks on her mind. As she passed underneath an overpass she spotted a trash can fire near a statue of a REPCONN rocket. It was strange that a fire would be lit way out here but what was even stranger was that the area around the fire shimmered. As Amata took a closer look she could see that the shimmered area had a distinct shape and were in fact several figures but it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

"Well what do we have here?" a voice asked to itself.

Amata quickly whipped around to see who it was and saw no one. On alert she took out her Cowboy repeater and scanned her surroundings, she began to back away down the way she came when she ran into something hard and big. She turned to face what she had run into and only saw a shimmering figure. The figure reached out and grabbed her. From the size of its massive hand Amata quickly deduced what a Nightkin could be. The figured lifted her high above its head and uncloaked revealing a Super Mutant with an unusual skin color.

"Stupid human come where she no wanted." It spoke in its Neanderthal tone.

' _This is bad.'_ Amata thought struggling to free herself.

"Me kill stupid human!" it roared as it began to tighten its grip.

' _This is_ _ **really**_ _bad.'_ Amata thought as she was about to reach for her 9mm a shot rang out and a .32 round went through the Nightkin's head causing it to fall dead bringing Amata along for the ride. After freeing herself from the Super Mutant's grip she looked for the one who fired the shot, half expecting it to be the Courier. Instead she saw an individual with a red beret like Manny's climbing up to the overpass.

"Who are you?" Amata asked.

"Now's really not the time." The stranger remarked pointing towards the trash fire. It took a few seconds for Amata to realize that there were no longer shimmers surrounding the fire.

' _Oh shit.'_

"Hey that pip-boy got a threat assessment display?" the stranger called from above her.

Amata looked at her pip-boy and saw several red ticks heading towards her and 'danger' flashing red.

' _If the pip-boy can pick up on them then maybe V.A.T.S could work.'_ Amata thought. Time slowed as she quickly went into V.A.T.S but to her dismay the targeting system could only show an outline of her invisible targets with a '0%' chance to hit. Even though she couldn't target them in V.A.T.S, it at least pointed her towards where she needs to shoot. Time reverted back to normal as Amata began to open fire. Most of her shots missed but she was able to knock a few out of their cloaking states giving her mysterious helper the shot he needed. Three more shots rang out from high above her and three Nightkins fell leaving two more to deal with. Amata looked around as the area had fell silent, an eerie feeling began to creep into her mind as paranoia started to set in.

' _It's bad enough they're Super Mutants, but invisible too.'_ Amata thought as she listen for footsteps.

"Will you idiots stop dying?" a voice yelled out from the night. Just then the stranger fell from the overpass and landed roughly on the ground, an invisible force hit the ground next to him. Before Amata could move to help she was grabbed and put into a bear hug.

"Let go of me!" She grunted as she struggled.

A Nightkin decloaked in front of her. He had a wicked scare over his right eye and a rebar club in his hand. What seemed to set him apart from the others was the Brahmin skull he had strapped to his shoulder.

"We have two stinking meddling humans Antler, what should we do with them?" it spoke. Amata guessed it was referring to the skull on its shoulder for advice. After a moment of silence one of the other Nightkin spoke up.

"We should make them tell us where the stealth boys are." It suggested.

"Shut up! Antler is thinking." After another small pause he spoke again. "Antler says we're being rude, says executions are in order." The Nightkin paused again and began having a small side conversation with the skull.

"No, wait that's not right. Are you sure?"

"…"

"Okay, Antler." The Nightkin agreed.

' _Oh god I'm going to die by the hands of a Super Mutant taking orders from a skull.'_ Amata thought.

"Antler says **Introductions** are in order." It corrected itself.

"I am Anderson, and this is Antler." It gestured to the skull on its shoulder.

"…"

"Antler says hi." Anderson translated.

"…"

"Antler also ask why you here? Are you here for Stealthboys?" Anderson paused to have another side conversation with the skull.

"You're very smart Antler, ask all right questions." He praised. He turned back to Amata as if giving her the cue to speak.

"We only came here because Super Mutants been harassing-." Amata was cut off as Anderson bellowed.

"We are not Super Mutants! We Nightkin! Understand!" he yelled as he drew his face close to her. Amata could still smell what Anderson previously ate for dinner and did her best not to vomit.

"Many apologies, Sir." Amata replied in her politest manner she could muster.

"…"

"You're right Antler. I am too quick to anger, clouds judgement. You're always right Antler." Anderson chatted with 'Antler'.

"…"

"I notice that too Antler, she not like other human. Calls Anderson 'Sir'… Sir Anderson. Has nice ring to it don't you think, Antler?" From the way the conversation was going it seemed that Amata would have to appeal to this 'Antler' if they were going to get anywhere.

"Um, Mr. Antler. We foolish smelly humans only wish to be left alone. We do not want stealthboys and would really appreciate if you let us go." Amata asked hoping Anderson would by it. The other Nightkin looked at each other before looking back at Anderson.

"Antler, this human speaks to you like I do. What do you think?" Anderson asked.

"…"

"Antler says there's no need to be so formal." Anderson translated.

"Understood." Amata answered.

"…"

"He also says don't be so hard on yourself." Anderson added.

Amata nodded her head in agreement.

"…"

"Are you sure? Ok, okay Antler." Anderson stated.

"Antler says we'll leave puny settlement alone, we moving on anyway." Anderson relayed.

"And us?" Amata asked.

"Antler says you and your companion are free to go." The Nightkin replied giving the signal to release her.

"…"

"Antler says it was nice meeting you." Anderson translated as he and the other two began to walk away, soon they were cloaked again and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

The stranger who had decided to help Amata stood up gingerly.

"I think I cracked a rib." He muttered.

Now getting a clear view of the man, Amata could tell it was the Courier. The man was clearly taller and well built. The man took the shades he had in his pockets out and discovered them to be broken.

"Six owes me for new shades." He muttered to himself.

"Who are you?" Amata asked again. Picking up her cowboy repeater.

"Names Boone. The Courier sent me, and that's all you need to know." Boone answered.

' _Not the talkative type are you.'_ Amata thought.

 **AN: Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all the positive feedback I'm getting. As I'm sure you've notice I've given the Courier a name… well sort of. I don't want to give away too much info so you'll just have to read the next chapter.**


	8. True Intentions

**AN: Hello and welcome back to another chapter of Fallout: Unforgotten. I never know what to put at the beginning of these things until I've uploaded them so with that said enjoy chapter 8!**

Amata walked with Boone towards the settlement of Novac in the darkness of night and in total silence. As the moon hanged high above them, Amata couldn't help her nagging curiosity getting the better of her.

"So how do you know the Courier?" she finally asked.

"It's a long story." Boone answered.

"Well it's a bit of a long walk." Amata countered.

"It's not something you'd want to hear." Boone responded, a sharp pain shot through his ribs causing him to wince. Amata moved to put his arm around her so she could take some of his weight to alleviate the pain.

"You're not the type to let things go easily." Boone observed as they walked.

"No, No I'm not. So it's better to just come out with it." Amata reasoned.

"Well don't say I didn't warn you." Boone muttered.

Meanwhile the Courier had continued a bit of ways up the road and was standing in front of the run-down El Dorado Gas & Service station. With a freshly lit cigarette he nudged the door open with his foot and peaked inside, seeing no one he stepped in. Nothing but dirt and darkness surrounded him but he knew his way around. He looked behind the counter and picked up the gas lantern and with the flame from his cig he lit the tender inside causing a faint yellow glow to illuminate the inside of the gas station. The Courier put the lantern in the window, it was the signal that he was at the meeting spot. Several minutes pass when he heard a knock on the door. It was the Rangers' signal that it was them.

"Come on in." he answered.

The first Ranger walked through the door and was greeted with the sight of the Courier's Ranger Sequoia pointing right in their face.

"Bang, Bang. You're dead." The Courier smiled, he couldn't see the look on the Ranger's face due to their helmet with red lens they were notorious for wearing but he could feel this one wasn't aware of his particular style of 'humor'.

"Six, if you're done. I'd like to hear your report." Another Ranger told him as 2 more filed in after him. Six looked at them, it was hard to tell who was who until they spoke but they were the same rangers from the patrol station.

"Very well, what do you want to hear first? The bad news or the very bad news?" he asked as he holstered his revolver. He could tell the ranger was exhausted as he let out an audible sigh.

"Alright what's the bad news?" he asked.

"Well after 'accompanying' the target, I'm no closer to finding the individual who made a mess of your blockade three weeks back. Speaking of which, why do you think this girl knows anything about him?" The Courier asked.

The ranger looked at the rest of his comrades before turning back to him. "The guy who attacked the blockade wore a pip-boy, now if I'm not mistaken not many people have those. There's you, the girl, and him. Three weeks after the incident this girl shows up… with a pip-boy, I don't believe in coincidences. I think it's a safe bet she knows the guy" The ranger reasoned.

The Courier's cigarette was burning low, with one final pull he picked it from his mouth and flicked it towards the ranger he had greeted. "What the hell you think you're doing?" the ranger growled, an obvious attempt to save face in front of the others but it only serve to amuse the Courier as he blew smoke in his face.

"Stand down." The ranger ordered. The ranger in question begrudgingly obeyed stepping back from the Courier. "Alright, what's the 'very bad' news?" the ranger asked.

"The Legate has been spotted in Nipton, seems he wishes to even things with me." The Courier noted, he notice the other two rangers look at each other.

' _Seems the NCR had no knowledge of this.'_ The Courier observed.

"Alright, we'll look into the Legion. You're to continue on with your assignment. Rangers let's move!" the ranger ordered. The two moved to comply but the one the Courier had been goading decide to try one more thing to establish dominance over the Courier. He stepped towards the Courier as he was lighting another cigarette and with a quick motion snatched it out of his mouth and stomped on it.

"Don't you know smoking kills." He taunted.

The other three rangers froze looking at the two men. The ranger was a bit bigger and taller compared to the Courier but they knew size didn't mean a thing to Six.

"That was my last one." The Courier noted still looking at the cigarette with the ranger's boot over it.

"Six-" The lead ranger didn't get to finish as the sound of a Ranger Sequoia interrupted him. The Courier had put a single round through the rude individual's windpipe. The others watched as their fellow ranger collapsed to the floor drowning in his own blood.

"Bang, you're dead." The Courier muttered. The dying ranger looked to the others for help but only saw them stand stills as statues, soon he could no longer see as his own blood flooded his helmet. As the ranger was in his death throes the Courier knelt and picked up his cigarette.

"Aww you got it all wet with your blood, how the hell am I supposed to smoke this now?" The Courier asked. With a sigh he stepped over the dying ranger and walked out the door of the El Dorado Gas Station.

"Anyone want to remind me as to why we're working with this guy?" One ranger asked.

"The better question is why we're not dead?" the other asked.

"Both are good questions that are better left not thought about." Their leader said as he pulled his pistol and put the dying ranger out of his misery.

Amata could see the small lights of Novac meaning they were getting close to the settlement and to the ending of Boone's story. At first Amata didn't think much of Boone's story until he got to the part about the Top's casino and the fate of an unfortunate idiot who shot and robbed the Courier.

"You can't be serious, he didn't really wear his skin as he walked out." Amata asked.

"It wasn't his entire skin just the face and the suit. I wouldn't have believe it myself if I hadn't watched him do it." Boone answered with a sigh.

"I get the feeling that wasn't the worst thing he did." Amata figured.

"Not for me it wasn't, I've seen somethings… done some of them too but genocide that was the breaking point." Boone muttered as dark memories began to plague him.

' _Genocide? I thought he was lying!'_ Amata thought.

"Care to tell me about that." Amata asked as they entered the settlement.

"No, you'll have to find someone else to do that." He answered as he took his arm from around her.

"I can make it to the doc from here, thanks." He told her.

"Well I guess I'll need to find a place to rest." Amata said stifling a yawn, she had no idea how tired she was or how late it was.

"Manny should give you a room for the night, talk to him." Boone suggested as he started to head towards the doctor, after a few steps he stopped and turned around.

"Listen, you seem like a nice person. I've seen what the Courier do to good people, don't end up like them." Boone advised.

"Alright, thanks." _'I guess'_ Amata thought.

"Oh, and for the love of God, do _**not**_ trust him." Boone warned as he walked away.

 **AN: I'm currently working on another chapter which will hopefully be done and uploaded later on in the day. (This is not a normal thing, so don't get used to it! LoL) with that said I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	9. Flight of the Cazadores

**AN: Welcome back to Fallout: Unforgotten.**

As thanks for getting rid of the Nightkin Manny set Amata up with a room in the Dino Dee-lite Motel. She had to admit it was one of the better places to spend a night at. Amata didn't bother setting the alarm on her Pip-boy as she decided she'd need all the sleep she could get. When she awoke she could see the sunlight shining through the boarded up window in her room, a glance at her pip-boy told her that it was close to noon. With a sigh she urged herself to get up and get ready. When she stepped outside she was half expecting the Courier to be outside leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth, but today seemed to be the exception as he was nowhere to be seen.

' _So where did that idiot go?'_ Amata thought, she suddenly retracted the thought. As she was heading out of town Manny called down to her from his perch in the Dinky the Dino's mouth.

"Hey thanks again, it's good to see that not everyone has become assholes." He yelled.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Amata called back.

"Hey you should head to the 188 trading post, just follow the road. From there it's pretty much a straight shot to New Vegas more or less." Manny informed her.

"Wait, how do you know I'm heading to New Vegas?" Amata asked.

"Three weeks ago a guy comes into town asking for directions to 'The city of Lights'. Had a pip-boy on his arm much like yours, doesn't take a genius kid." Manny answered.

Amata couldn't believe it, The Lone Wanderer had been through this very town! She had never given it any thought of asking if anyone had seen him.

"Soon after word comes up from the NCR Ranger Station that their barricade been blown to hell, it's not rocket science to connect the two." Manny added.

"Any reason why he would do such a thing?" Amata asked.

"I figured you're better off asking him that yourself." Manny reasoned.

' _Touché'_ Amata thought, she bid farewell to Manny as she started on her way, heading down the long road ahead of her, with more questions than answers. The sun had started it's decent but was still high in the sky meaning that noon had come and gone. There was dirt and sand as far as the eye could see with only a few ruined buildings dotting the landscape. The wind started to pick up causing Amata to squint her eyes to reduce the amount of sand and sunlight getting into her eyes.

' _Looks like a dust storm is coming.'_ She reasoned.

She was just passing an abandon gas station when she when a loud buzzing sound caught her attention. The dust storm was starting to gain more momentum obscuring her sight but from the sound of things there was more than just one. The buzzing was from the result of wings flapping at a high rate of speed and it was getting closer. Amata turned just in time to see something black and huge buzz by her.

' _That's not a bloatfly.'_ Amata thought as adrenaline started to pump in her veins. She readied her Cowboy Repeater and tried to take aim but the creature was fast and erratic making it hard to predict where it would move. The buzzing was picking up meaning that whatever this thing was there were more waiting just outside her line of sight.

' _If it's too fast for me I bet I can hit it in V.A.T.S.'_ Amata reasoned as she activated the assisted targeting system. Time slowed to a crawl and the targeting system had no problem locking on to her target. Moving at a fraction of the speed she could see it now. It had a bulking black carapace, blood red eyes, with huge orange-amber wings with a stinger to match.

' _Eww, Eww, Eww! I hate bugs!'_ she mentally cringed as she took aim. Even with V.A.T.S assistance the creature still moved at an alarming speed. She put three rounds in it but the creature's hardened skin took most of the damage. She side stepped it as it came in for another stab.

'Alright, if simply shooting it won't work maybe crippling it will.' She figured as she targeted the creature's wings. Two shoots managed to knock the wings of the mutated bug sending it careening to the ground.

"Gotcha." she congratulated herself but her victory was short lived as the bug righted itself to continue its assault.

"Damn thing doesn't die easily does it." She exclaimed as she put several more rounds in the bug finishing it off. Amata quickly looked around as best as she could. The dust storm was in full swing and the buzzing hadn't stopped. She checked her pip-boy's threat assessment and it revealed two more of those things were lying in wait, safe under the cover of dust. The first one made it's move and flew at her in an erratic manner. Before she could aim it was already pass the barrel of her repeater. She quickly stepped aside as it nearly missed her. She switched to her 9mm exchanging power for maneuverability. She fired 4 rounds after it, two of which managed to cripple its right wing sending it into a spiral and crashing to the ground. Before she could finish it off the last of the creatures struck. It's stinger cut Amata on her right shoulder, it wasn't a serious wound but it was all that was needed to introduce its venom into her blood stream. Almost instantly she began to feel it's effect as it felt like her blood was made of lava.

' _The damn things are poisonous!'_ Amata figure a little too late. The venom packed a punch as it began to spread quickly. The two remaining insects could see what was happening and began to close in on her prey. She fired her remaining rounds killing the crippled creature but the remaining one moved to fast for her and retreated back into the dust storm. All it needed to do was to wait out its prey while the venom did all the work. Amata kept moving in hopes of finding a way out of this situation. Her vision blurred compounding the difficulty to see in the dust storm. Numbness took over her right arm and was starting to spread to her right leg, the venom began working on internal organs as her breathing became labored and her muscles cramped. She urged herself to keep moving but it was getting harder and harder to stay focus. Her limbs were becoming heavier as paralysis threatened to set in, soon her body could go no further and she collapsed under her own weight and fatigue.

'I can't die like this.' Amata thought as the buzzing sound started to near. She could only look as the insect hovered near readying for the kill. Amata tried to raise her pistol to defend herself but her limbs refused to work.

'I'm sorry.' She thought as she readied herself. As her eyes were beginning to close the buzzing sound was interrupted by a loud crunch of something solid pulverizing a fragile shell. She looked and on the ground next to her the insect laid slain with half its body smashed. She soon noticed a robed figure was standing over her with a power fist in hand. Amata vision was blurred but she could make out the feminine figure underneath the hood despite the power armor she wore underneath the robe.

"Sarah?" Amata asked before losing conscious.

"Sarah? Who the hell is that?" the robe figure pondered to herself.

 **AN: Thanks for reading! I look forward to your feedback and hope you are enjoying the story so far.**


	10. Vault 11

**AN: Welcome to Chapter 10 of Fallout: Unforgotten! As many of you have probably guessed from the last chapter. Yes, Veronica is in this chapter.**

The sun beamed down unforgiving rays of heat and light on the Courier's hat. He scratched an itch on his nose as he studied the trail of footprints in the desert sand. It had been three days since Amata had left Novac. When he had returned Manny was kind enough to point the direction she was heading in with his middle finger, either that or he could go fuck himself sideways, maybe both the Courier thought in hindsight. After 'thanking' him by braking his finger he began following her trail which had led him back toward the ruined gas station he had met the rangers in. He continued to follow the trail a little further down the road and came across a scene where it was obvious an attack had taken place. Lighting another cigarette Manny was 'kind' enough to give him, he began to put the pieces together.

' _Looks like Cazadores surprised her, probably drawn from the smell of the corpse in the gas station. She was able to kill 2 of them seeing as two carcasses have bullets in them. A third must have managed to get her, the tracks become sluggish meaning she tried to get away. I doubt she got far, Cazadore venom acts as soon as it's in the bloodstream. She collapsed a bit off the path but there is another set of prints, heavier given the depth of the footprints meaning either a heavy set person found her or someone wearing power armor. Given the size of the footprint and the matter of which the third bug's carcass is decimated, I'd go with the latter.'_ The Courier looked up from the scene, his eyes following the heavyset footprints off into the wasteland.

"Where the hell are you." He muttered to himself.

Amata's eyes gingerly opened and she was greeted with the sight of a rust covered ceiling with yellow lights looming above her. The air was thick and smelt stale and she couldn't shake the feeling of confinement.

"So you're finally awake." A voice spoke from nearby. Amata turned her head to see who it was, it was the hooded woman leaning against the far wall studying her from afar.

"How long was I out?" Amata asked as her mind still felt hazy.

"Three days." The woman answered.

"Three days!" Amata repeated as she sat up. Her mind wasn't ready for the sudden change in altitude and she suddenly found herself on the floor.

"Take it easy, overcoming Cazadore venom is no easy feat." The woman cautioned as she moved to help her up.

"I take it I have you to thank for saving me?" Amata asked as she sat back on the bed. After taking a quick look around the room looked like the ones back in vault 101 only… dirtier and poorly kept.

"And you would be right in guessing so. Lucky for you I had some anti-venom on hand. Speaking of which who goes wandering out here without any?" the woman asked.

"That would be me. Way to go Amata you just wasted three whole days." She scolded herself.

"Hey, no need to be so hard on yourself. Making it this far is no easy feat either at least not in this day and age." The woman comforted. "Amata, right? Names Veronica." She introduced herself offering a metal clad hand to shake. Amata reached out and shook it, looking at it she wondered if it belonged to the Brotherhood of Steel and decided to ask.

"Are you with the Brotherhood of Steel?" suddenly Amata noticed that Veronica hadn't let go of her hand, in fact she was beginning to tighten her grip.

"How do you know about the Brotherhood?" Veronica asked giving Amata a cold icy stare.

"I'm friends with them." Amata quickly told her. Her fingers were starting to feel uncomfortable in Veronica's grip.

"The Brotherhood of Steel hasn't been seen in these parts for 4 years. Now I'll ask again and if you lie to me again I going to start removing fingers!" Veronica demanded now squeezing Amata's hand.

"I know them from D.C. where I come from." Amata quickly answered trying to pull her hand away.

"D.C.? you mean to the east?" Veronica asked bewildered. Amata managed to pull her hand free as Veronica loosened her grip.

"Yes, back east. What do you mean the Brotherhood hasn't been seen for 4 years?" Amata asked nursing her hand, but the question was wasted on Veronica as she lost in her thoughts.

"So I'm not the only one." She said to herself.

"What are you talking about?" Amata asked but before she could get an answer from her. Veronica's eyes snapped to the door to the room.

"Did you hear that?" she asked a bit frenzied.

"Hear what?" Amata asked but she never got an answer as Veronica dashed out the door.

' _What is going on?'_ Amata wondered as she moved to follow.

The Courier walked across a dried lakebed following the trail north by north west. A quick look at his Pip-boy revealed three locations as to where Amata could've been taken. The El Dorado substation was guarded by NCR which eliminated one option, and Trade post 188 wouldn't be an ideal place to take an injured woman, which only left one option left. Vault 11. Now standing in front of the rickety wooden door that led into the cavern housing the vault, he finished off his cigarette and grounded it beneath his boot before entering. He had been in Vault 11 before, discovering the twisted social project its inhabitants were subjected to. As memories rose from the back of his mind like a Spector from its grave a bad taste began to make itself known in his mouth causing him to grimace slightly. He walked past the 3 ton vault door that was rolled to it's side and up the steps. Before opening the door he could hear the sound of hurried footsteps. Metal on metal, most likely the power armor wearer, not trying even the slightest to mask their intentions. He lifted the hatch and pushed the door open, the footsteps were echoing throughout the vault but he could tell that whoever footsteps they belonged to were quickly making their way towards him. He stepped into a long corridor that stretched further into the vault, the walls all covered in political posters demanding its reader to vote for someone else for Overseer. The Courier noticed the sound of footsteps had stopped meaning that whoever had come to greet him had finally found him. He turned his head from the poster and looked at the dark haired woman standing at the other end of the corridor. She was breathing heavily and there was fire in her dark brown eyes as she stared the Courier down.

"Hello Veronica." He greeted with a devilish smile.

There was a noticeable twitch under her left eye as she suddenly burst into a full charge.

' _Well that didn't take much.'_ The Courier thought as he watched Veronica charge down the corridor like a stampeding Brahmin.

Amata had just made it to the entrance of the corridor in time to see Veronica running toward the Courier.

' _This isn't going to end well.'_ She thought.

Veronica raised her power fist readying to strike as she closed in on the Courier. There was no hiding her intentions, no masking her feelings. She intended to kill the Courier. She lunged at him fist first… and missed him completely as he sidestepped her.

"Yeah I'm happy to see you to Veronica." He goaded, he sidestepped another punch this time causing her to dent the wall behind him.

"So, how you been?" he asked as she tugged at her arm in an attempt to pull her fist free.

"I'm going to kill you!" she grunted as she pulled her power fist free of the hole in the wall.

"215th your 20th time saying that." He retorted as he ducked under another swing.

"Shut up!" Veronica yelled as she tried to slam her fist down, only to put another dent this time in the floor.

"299th, Wow you are on a roll today!" the Courier teased.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Amata asked frustrated.

"Honestly? Nothing really." He answered, he had slightly turned his head toward Amata to answer and Veronica saw her chance.

"It wasn't NOTHING!" She yelled as she lunged at him again but the Courier never took his eyes off her as he tilted his head slightly allowing the power fist to past him. He quickly trapped Veronica's arm in a grapple and threw her over his shoulder into a nearby wall. Before she could get her bearings the Courier had his Ranger Sequoia trained on her forehead.

"Alright Veronica, play time is over." He warned.

"Go ahead… do it." She tempted.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on!" Amata yelled.

"Tell her or I will." Veronica demanded.

"It has nothing to do with her Veronica. Leave it in the past." The Courier warned as he pulled the hammer back with his thumb.

"How can I when you destroyed the only place I called home, killed-" Veronica was interrupted when a 40 gov't bullet impacted the floor next to her head.

"You still can't bring yourself to do it." She taunted.

Amata didn't know the whole story but she could piece it together from what she heard.

"You didn't…" Amata trailed of horrified at what Veronica implied.

"Amata, before you go making rash judgements." The Courier cautioned as he moved toward her.

"No! Just stay away! I try to look for the good in people, a-and I just figured that your good side was just buried underneath this jackass ploy but there isn't one is there." Amata spat. Disgusted she took off running deeper into the vault.

"See? Even she can see you for the monster you really are." Veronica laughed as she got up. The Courier paid her no mind as he went after Amata.

Amata felt sick to her stomach and soon had to stop running. Bracing herself against a nearby wall she wondered where the exit was but her train of thought was interrupted when she heard her name being called.

"Amata, come on I don't have time to for this."

Amata reached for her gun only to remember that she had left the room without her belongings.

' _This cannot get any worst.'_ Amata fumed.

"Listen I know what you're thinking and you got it wrong. Sure in hindsight blowing up their bunker might have been a bit much but I was mad and believe me I don't even like myself when I get to that point."

Amata spotted the Overseer's office and headed inside closing the door behind her.

"You'd be mad too if you had a squad of power armor, energy weapon wielding paladins come after you. They killed doctors, their assistants, even their patients. They tried to kill Veronica… They tried to kill me. They hurt her in more ways than I care to count and I'm not going to deny it. I wanted revenge."

Amata could hear him getting closer, she looked on the overseer's console and pressed the giant red button revealing a tunnel. She ran down it as the door's to the Overseer's office opened.

"Amata don't go down there!" the Courier yelled as he began to chase after her. She soon came to a door at the far end of the corridor and opened it, inside was a giant screen with a chair sitting in front of it.

"Don't close the door!" The Courier warned as he dashed down the corridor but Amata paid him no mind as she tried to close the heavy door on him. The Courier shoulder charged the door knocking Amata back. When she looked up she could see the Courier wasn't happy.

"Damn it! Why the hell did you run? And here of all places?" he yelled.

Before Amata could answered they both heard the latch lock shut.

" _ **Welcome, to begin presentation please sit in the chair."**_ An automated voice began.

"What's going on?" Amata asked, she soon noticed the Courier's solemn face.

"We're in the sacrificial chamber." He answered looking around.

"You can't be serious." Amata retorted.

" _ **You have no choice but to sit in the chair."**_ The automated voice reaffirmed.

"Sit in the chair Amata." The Courier ordered.

"I don't want to!" Amata snapped back, she couldn't believe this was how it was going to end. Death by pre-war death room.

"JUST SIT IN THE FUCKING CHAIR!" The Courier yelled as he pulled his revolver and pointed at her.

Amata looked at him, she was no longer shocked at the Courier's actions. If she was to die in this hellhole then she can at least die knowing the Courier wouldn't make it out of this alive either.

"Fine." She answered coldly as she took the lone seat in front of the big screen. The screen lit up starting the presentation with the picture of vault boy watching the sunset in a beach chair.

" _ **Greeting, martyr, and welcome! If you're here now, it means you've been offered up as a sacrifice so that your vault can continue to thrive. Currently, you may be feeling sad or angry. Perhaps you never got to have grandkids, or to enjoy the pleasures of a fresh cigar. But march with your chin held high, soldier, and remember that each of us has an important role to play."**_

Amata did her best to try and relax, the fact that the Courier had move to stand above her wasn't making it easy. Another pic replaced the first, this time showing a father showing his son how to ride a bike. It reminded Amata of her father though he was too busy being Overseer to teach her how to ride a bike she like to think he would have if the vault had a bike.

 _ **"For some people, their role might be to heal the sick. For others, it might mean they will drive a race car, or fly a rocket ship. And some of us are meant to forfeit our lives for the good of the people. Sure, it might not be as fun as driving a race car, but it's every bit as important."**_

Another slide, slid into view this time depicting Vault boy enjoying a massage.

 _ **"Let's take a moment to reflect on the moments that made your life worth living. Think about that time you kissed your steady girl for the first time under the bleachers at the big game. Or when you snuck out after curfew to catch that new flick that your parents wouldn't let you see because it was too scary. Boy, were they right! And who could forget when you met the love of your life. What a looker! These are just examples."**_

Amata remembered when she and the Lone Wanderer were kids, how they would sneak down to the reactor level to fire the BB gun his father got for him on his tenth birthday. Now that she thought about it she never did have a first kiss. It made her think of all the first she will miss out on but it also made her think about all the things she accomplished up till now. She couldn't fight back the tears no longer as another slide slid into view this time depicting a family in front of their picket fence house.

 _ **"Do you feel that feeling stirring in your chest as you think of these things? Good. What you are feeling is peace. You've led a great life - living it has been its own reward. But, it is only the beginning."**_

A final slide slid into view depicting Vault Boy meditating underneath a tree.

 _ **"Close your eyes now and imagine what joys await you in the next life - the afterlife. Can you see them? Good."**_

Amata could hear the screens concealing the death dealing tools lowering and closed her eyes and pictured what would await her on the other side.

The Courier had other plans though.

He pulled a silver 9mm from his back pocket, the phrase 'Hot Death' crudely scratched over the pictured lady on the grip. Wielding both the Ranger Sequoia and 'Maria' the Courier entered V.A.T.S and time slowed to a crawl. He could see everything clearly, the ceiling turrets, the floor turrets, the sentry bot, the Robobrain, and the Mister Gutsy all powering up but none will make it to their targeting stage as he selected his targets and opened fired. The Courier kicked the chair over causing it to fall on top of Amata preventing the turrets from getting a clear shot. Amata fell on her face as the chair fell on top of her. Shots rang out in rapid succession and soon the sound of equipment exploding could be heard followed by more gunshots. The room dropped a second barrier revealing more death bots in a vain attempt to kill the Courier. He quickly reloaded and resumed destroying the turrets and bots in a quick and efficient manner. In the end not a single bullet was wasted and the Courier stood victorious and without a scratch. There was a banging on the door, it was Veronica.

"Amata? Are you okay?" she yelled through the door. She soon managed to brake the lock on the door and opened it revealing only the Courier standing there.

"What did you do to her?" Veronica demanded.

The Courier said nothing as he took his foot and kicked it off revealing Amata underneath.

A look of confusion was plastered on Amata's face as she tried to piece together what had happened but it was obvious that the Courier had saved her but before she could thank him. He shoved his way pass Veronica and was on his way out of the Vault.

AN: Now I'm sure many will say Amata should've had a more active role in this chapter but seeing as she is still weaken by the Cazadore venom she had to take second chair on this one, but she will be back to normal by the next chapter. Also 'Freeside' that is all.


	11. The Lone Stranger

**AN: Yes, Yes I know. What took me so long! Well I'll explain later, until then however please enjoy these two chapters!**

Just outside the Securitron guarded gates of New Vegas lies the town of Freeside. Not far from those gates was a building and inside this building, sat a man at a table watching the show on stage with little amusement. However this wasn't just any man sitting at a table this was the individual simply known as 'The King', and he is the leader of the gang who shares his name. He was awaiting the arrival of a certain individual. The problem was that the King didn't like to be kept waiting and just as he was about to send one of his men out the individual came walking through the door.

"Well, Well look what the cat dragged in." the King greeted. He couldn't tell if the individual heard him or simply didn't cared as a few of his men snickered at his welcoming line.

 _'_ _These types of people are always hard to deal with.'_ The King mused to himself.

"So I take it that job I sent you on is finished. I hope it wasn't too hard." The King remarked.

"You already know the Job is done." The individual told him.

It was true, The King knew of everything that went on in the town of Freeside, and the 'strangers' actions were definitely not excluded.

"I've heard that those NCR soldiers had a sudden change of heart and have begun returning those 'confiscated' goods back to the good people of Freeside… That wouldn't have been your doing wouldn't it?" the King asked.

"Just pay me." The individual spoke.

 _'_ _Well isn't this one a tough nut to crack.'_ The King thought as he sighed. With a snap of his fingers one of his men brought forth a sack full of caps and placed it on the table with a thud.

"I believe this should be enough to get you past those gates and into New Vegas." The King informed him.

The individual grabbed the sack and was about to leave when the King stopped him.

"Surely you can't be satisfied with just those caps. If you're interested-"

"No thanks, I got what I need." The Individual said. He continued toward the door when two members of the Kings blocked his path.

"You should really hear this out, it's a good offer." One said.

"Yeah, It'd be disrespectful not to hear him out." The other suggested.

"…Tell them to move." The individual said starring them down.

Another member of The Kings approached the individual from behind and place his hand on the stranger's shoulder.

"You look a bit tired, take a seat, relax." He offered.

"Last chance." The Stranger told the King. The King simply lit a cigarette and leaned back into his chair.

 _'_ _This is going to be interesting'_ The King thought.

The Stranger sighed, it looks like he would have to do this the hard way. He quickly grabbed the hand on his shoulder and twisted it at an extremely awkward angle as he wrenched the arm it was attached to behind the gang member's back. With a hard shove the stranger pushed him into the two in front of him. One had managed to get out of the way as the other two crashed to the floor. The Stranger ducked under his left haymaker and kneed him in the stomach knocking the air out of the goon. The stranger clasp his hands together and slammed them down on the hunched over King knocking him to the floor. At this time the other two had managed to recover and rushed him. The stranger jolted his elbow into one member's mouth braking several front teeth. The man reeled in surprised pain while the other attempted to tackle the stranger. The stranger side step and gave him a quick shove pushing him off balance making him ending up back on the floor. The King watched on amused at the strangers' relentlessness as he kick the first goon he downed in the face knocking him out. Seeing as there was two more to go he grabbed the King member who was nursing his mouth with cupped hands and slammed him through a nearby table ensuring he wouldn't get back into the fight. The remaining fighter got back up and rushed at him again obviously not learning his lesson from before. The stranger grabbed a nearby chair and smashed it across the last King's face putting him down for the count. The commotion signaled others to come rushing in, luckily for the stranger the doorway could only allow one to enter at a time. He quickly kicked another chair towards the doorway tripping the first eager gang member that came through, his face bounced off the floor with a sickening smack. The stranger took out his combat knife he had hidden in his boot and threw it causing the sharp blade to end up in the wall next to the head of the next King that was about to come through the door.

"Call them off or I'll start killing them off." The stranger demanded.

With another sigh The King held his hand up signaling to his men to stand down. He stood up and gave the stranger a slow clapping ovation.

"It's been awhile, I haven't been so entertained in years." The King complimented. The stranger turned to leave again this time stopping at the doorway waiting for crowd of Kings to part for him.

"Let him pass." The King ordered, on command they separated giving the stranger a clear path to the exit. The stranger pulled his knife from the wall and walked out. Leaving The King with his men.

The King sat back down in his chair and let out a plume of smoke he had held in his lungs. He's met a lot of individuals but this one took the cake. There was something about him that he couldn't put his finger on. The fact that the stranger in worn out combat armor was always seen wearing a strange hood on his head didn't help him the slightest in figuring out his identity and the fact that he didn't know this individual gnawed away at his subconscious.

"Why did you let him simply walk out here like that, boss?" one of his men asked.

"If we hurry we can catch up to him and teach him a lesson, one he won't forget." Another suggested.

"Good luck with that. Did you see what he did?" another muttered.

"You knuckleheads won't lay a damn finger on him." The King ordered as he took another pull of his cigarette. "He'd kill you without giving it a thought, hopefully the Courier and he will meet up and with any luck they just might kill each other." He mused as he exhaled.

Outside the sun was beginning to set casting a blue and orange sky over head. 'The Kings' sign overhead flickering on. The Lone Wanderer began his walk across the trash ridden streets of Freeside and headed towards another sign that had flickered on reading 'The Atomic Wrangler' he pushed the doors open and let out a low sigh. The place smelled of cheap sex and liquor and the cheap cologne the owners used to try to mask the smell didn't help one bit. At the nearby bar a red headed girl in a cowhide hat greeted him patting the stool next to her inviting him to a seat. He took the offer and sat in the less than comfortable stool.

"So I take it things went well?" the woman asked as the bartender put a bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla in front of him.

"More or less." He said as he patted the sack of caps on his side.

"So I guess this is where we part way." The woman sighed as she took another sip of her drink.

For some reason the Lone Wander felt a bit pained at the thought. Something about the woman reminded him of someone he once knew but for the life of him he couldn't remember. To make matter's worst every time he tried to remember that woman he could only remember the red hair, the face would be a complete blur but the hair would be red and pictured clear as day.

"Well you could come with me Rose." He offered. Rose slightly smiled at the offer.

"I would if it wasn't for the fact that I've been banned from every casino in New Vegas. Besides who'd look after the Silver Rush while I'm gone?" she politely declined.

"Well I won't forget you and all you've done for me ever since I got here. Even though I've seemed to have forgotten everything else." He sighed. Even though he was wearing the hood he never takes off Rose could tell he was sad and decided to cheer him up the best way she knows how.

"Holy Brahmin shit, you act like you're going off to fight a war. It's New Vegas! You should enjoy yourself. Personally you should go to Gomorrah and get yourself a girl! And hey you don't have to leave now you can go first thing in the morning!" she told him with a hearty slap to his back nearly making him knock over the bottle of Sarsaparilla.

"Well you do have a point." The Lone Wanderer relented.

"Out-fucking-standing! Tonight we party hard and live with the regrets tomorrow!" she cheered, with that she ordered another round of beer. As the night went on and the beer flowed Rose's curiosity soon got the better of her. All night she watched the Lone Wanderer drink lifting his hood ever so slightly as to take in the alcoholic beverage. Hoping the booze might have loosen his lips she decided to finally ask him about it.

"…So why is it you don't take off that hood? You don't even take it off when you bathe." She drunkenly slurred.

"Well…wait you watched me bathe?" The Lone Wanderer counter.

"Don't dodge the question! _Hic_." She reaffirmed herself.

The Lone Wanderer sat eyeing his drink in deep thought.

"Come on, you can tell me! It's the least you can do for me." She urged.

"You'd probably think it's funny." The Lone Wanderer answered.

"Well if it is I promise not to laugh… wait you're not like all mutated in the face are you?" Rose asked.

"I'm not at least I don't feel like I am." The Lone Wanderer countered.

"If you are you got to warn me, I don't like ugly surprises." She informed him.

"I'm pretty sure it not that, I remember someone tell me I look like my dad… whoever that is." He reassured her.

"Then why the hood?" Rose asked again.

The Lone Wanderer chugged down the rest of his beer before slamming the mug back onto the bar counter.

"You know that… I can't remember things about my past." He began.

"Yeah, it was apparent the first time I met you, looked like you were on auto pilot when you were walking towards those gates. If I hadn't stopped you it would've been one hell of a mess with those securitrons." Rose remembered.

"Yeah, that would've been. Thanks for that by the way." The Lone Wanderer sighed.

"You still haven't answered the question, quit stalling." Rose warned.

"You're not going to let this go are you?" the Lone Wanderer muttered.

"Not a chance in hell." Rose smiled.

"The reason I don't take off the hood… is because I'm afraid." He told her.

"Afraid? I've seen you stare down thugs with guns in your face and fight off a squad of drunken NCR soldiers in this very place!" Rose countered.

"Yeah can't say I ever seen a beer bottle get used that way." The bartender chimed in as she cleaned a dirty mug.

"So what's the real reason?" Rose asked a bit annoyed at the Lone Wanderer's stonewalling.

"It is the real reason… I'm afraid that if I take off this hood, I won't remember the face of the man underneath it." He finally admitted.

There was a bit of silence, apparently the other patrons of the Atomic Wrangler wanted to know why the lone stranger he had come to be called never takes off his hood. Rose felt something sour in the pit in her stomach and had a tinge of regret forcing the answer out of him.

"Well damn, you sure know how to kill the mood." She finally retorted.

 **AN: Well it's about time the Lone Wanderer made his appearance! (If you're wondering why he has amnesia then you obviously didn't read Fallout: A path best not taken! Shame on you!) I was reading through the story and realized that he hadn't made a physical appearance (Just breadcrumbs for Amata to follow.) I am sorry that I made you wait, I'm currently having computer problems (I'm using a friend's at the moment!) I will be uploading another chapter along with this one. Also I feel I should tell you that I am working on another story that ties into my Fallout stories.**


	12. Putting the past to rest

**AN: I know it's been a while and believe me I'd like nothing more than to upload more chapter's but as I said before I'm having… Technical difficulties so I'm using a friend's computer for the time being but as soon as mine is fix I will be back to uploading like crazy.**

The sun was beginning to set on the Mojave Wasteland as the Courier walked along the road. Behind him he could hear another set of footsteps and behind those he could hear another. Annoyed he finally decided to turn and face his 'followers'.

"Care to explain why the hell you're following me?" he asked.

Amata stopped and caught her breath, she had been following the Courier for quite a while after he had left the vault and at the pace he was going she practically had to jog just to keep up.

"Damn… I thought… you'd never stop." She said between breaths.

"Well seeing as how I'm some deplorable 'monster' I figured I should just continue on my way. Besides I thought you wanted me to leave you alone? Well you're stupid wish is granted." The Courier said.

"Okay look, maybe I jumped the gun a bit back there." Amata shyly admitted.

"You could've jumped Hoover Damn." The Courier muttered.

"What's that?" Amata asked still a bit winded.

The Courier pinched the bridge of his nose attempting to fight off a headache, he had forgotten Amata wasn't from these parts so of course she wouldn't know what Hoover Damn was.

"It's a large construct the NCR took over a few years back." Veronica answered as she joined them.

"Great, now that you're here you can tell me why the hell you're following me too." The Courier asked.

"I'm not following you dipshit, I'm following her." Veronica countered nodding her head toward Amata.

"Wait, why are you following me?" Amata asked slightly confused.

"I decided to join you in the simple fact that I don't want **_'_** ** _HIM'_** to do anything to you. No telling what he might do with you two alone." Veronica answered staring the Courier in the eye.

"Well you two can keep each other company and leave me alone." The Courier said as he turned to leave.

"Wait, can I at least say thank you?" Amata asked hoping it would stop him, and it did. It was yet another thing that was new to the Courier. With a heavy sigh he turned around to face her.

"Well, I'm waiting." The Courier stated.

"Oh, um… Thank you?" Was all Amata could come up with on the spot.

"…Bittersweet, needs a bit more work. Now if you're done wasting my time…" he turned to leave again.

"See? He can't even accept a simple thank you. Why you even bother is beyond me!" Veronica told her.

"I just feel wrong leaving things like they are." Amata admitted.

"Trust me that asshole couldn't care less about how you feel." Veronica assured her.

"But then why did he save me?" Amata asked.

"You was probably just in his way." Veronica guessed.

"No, that can't be all to it." Amata countered.

"Look I'm not going to stand here and listen to you trying to defend this son of a bitch, He's not worth it! It would only be a matter of time till he betrays you." Veronica stated.

"I just-"

"Enough, Amata. Veronica is stuck in her ways, can't you see that?" the Courier asked as he began to walk back towards them.

"At least my ways don't involve mass murder!" Veronica snapped.

"You don't even know half of the story!" the Courier countered.

"I know that they're gone because of you and that's enough!" Veronica spat.

"Well let me fill you in on all the details." The Courier said as he inched closer to Veronica's face.

Amata could only look on as the event was unfolding before her and for the first time she felt that she should stay out of it.

"Your precious Brotherhood of Steel, was a pain in both the NCR and Mr. House's backside. Huddled away in their tiny bunker believing they had a chance to beat the NCR army and Mr. House. You and I both know that wasn't the case and that it wasn't going to end well for them no matter who won the Battle at Hoover Dam. Hell I'm pretty sure the Legion would've latched each and every single man, woman, and child to the cross if they had managed to win. So guess who they hired to solve this little problem, I'm sure you already know the answer." The Courier mockingly asked.

"You." Veronica growled.

"That's right, ME! The Brotherhood pissed off the wrong group of people so they hired me, Both the NCR and Mr. House, but here's the twist! I didn't want to do it!" the Courier told her.

"That's a lie." Veronica countered.

"Is it? You was with me around that time, think back, think real hard. Why was it that you had to wait outside the room, out of hearing range. Think about how much we did together… Remember the dress? Now here's the good part! You tell me you were thinking about leaving the Brotherhood! You knew that their situation couldn't end well, you wanted to help people but the Codex of the Brotherhood wouldn't necessarily allow that now would it?" the Courier mocked.

"The sharing of technology is strictly forbidden with any who have not taken the Oath for it can be misused as was before." Veronica quoted.

"And it was that same ideal that got them in the situation that they were in. You wanted to join the Followers of the Apocalypse because you saw all the good they were doing with the knowledge they knew." The Courier continued.

"They helped any and all who came to them for it." Veronica said remembering them.

"That's right, how fair was it for the Brotherhood of Steel to come in wielding Laser rifles and power armor while the Followers only had books and pencils. You know what they did, you were there…we were there too little too late." The Courier said in an almost hushed tone, Amata could see the life drain from Veronica's face as she began remembering.

"THEY ASHED A DEFENSLESS FOLLOWER RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!" the Courier snapped, shaking Veronica to her core.

"BUT THAT WASN'T THE WORST OF IT! THEY THEN SET THEIR SIGHTS ON YOU, THESE PEOPLE YOU CALLED YOUR SISTER AND BROTHERS! THEY WANTED YOU DEAD!" The Courier yelled raising his voice to the point it echoed across the Mojave Wasteland.

"S-stop, please." Veronica asked her voice almost breaking, she didn't want to remember the ashes that covered her that day.

"No, you see your head is as thick as that damn armor you wear." The Courier spat as he continued. "After I dealt with those fuckers and making sure you were somewhere safe, I paid the Brotherhood of Steel a visit. Oh it was not easy, I'll give them that. Three codes? To activate a self-destruct sequence? Well I figured it'd be easier than having to systematically slaughter. Every. Single. One of them, but you. You were the exception, if I can save just one then maybe I can live with myself for another day… You know if it'll make you feel better go ahead and punch me. I won't retaliate, hell part of me kind thinks I at least deserve that so go ahead, and be done with it." The Courier extended his chin to give her a clear shot.

Amata looked on not even realizing she was holding her breath, as she watch Veronica eye the Courier's chin, in the next second Veronica hit him with a left cross flooring the Courier. Amata noticed that Veronica's Powerfist was on her right hand which would've easily caved in the Courier's head.

"What you've done… can't be forgiven but neither can the Brotherhood's action either. So I shall dedicate my life to atone for what they've done." Veronica remarked.

"Well if you like, you can help me find someone." Amata offered.

"I'd like that." Veronica smiled.

"Does anyone care about the guy on the ground?" the Courier asked rubbing his jaw.

"No." they both laughed.

 **AN: Alright! I know it's been a while so I decided to upload two chapters. Even though this is the 12 chapter both chapters take place at the same time. (Just in case there was any confusion.)**


	13. Rangers are Forever

**AN: Surprise! Another chapter! Yay. Enjoy.**

2nd Lieutenant Collins of the 21st Ranger Regiment was a bit skeptical of the Courier's Intel for two reasons. One the Legion hadn't been seen around these parts in months, sure there were pockets of resistance. Nothing a small squad of rangers couldn't handle and here was three veterans including himself going to Nipton to see if the Legate had come to pay the Mojave a visit. The second reason was that the Courier was a grade 'A' asshole and he didn't put giving false info past him. The sun had set beneath the horizon handing the job of lighting up the night sky to the moon and the stars and so far it was doing a pretty crappy job, but that was perfect for the rangers the shadows cast from nearby boulders provided perfect cover as they closed in on the town of Nipton from the north.

"You see anything, Major?" Collins asked.

Major Wright the squad leader clicked on the night vision goggles built into his helmet. The Mojave Wasteland lit up as if it was daytime again with the only difference being everything was red. After a quick scan it was obvious the Legion had been there. The burnt out husk that was the town hall was a clear signal. The Major cursed under his breath.

"I think that's Major's way of say this is bad." 1st Lieutenant Williams told Collins.

"Quiet you two. Knowing them they probably left some men behind just in case someone did come investigating." Wright informed them.

"Well if they did they're hella good at hiding." Collins muttered.

"Sir, I think someone's down there." Williams stated. She had caught a glimpse of a shadow moving but it didn't seem quick like a legionnaire and it was too big to be a critter. The rangers flicked on their night vision and scanned the town again, Collins was the first to spot the individual stumbling through the town of Nipton, Williams quickly recognized that she was a ranger from the NCR from the uniform she was wearing.

"It's one of ours." She quickly said standing up getting ready to help.

"Stand down Williams!" Major Wright quickly ordered.

"We can't just her out there." Williams countered.

"And we can't just rush out there, could be snipers waiting to pick us off." Wright countered.

Williams gritted her teeth as she followed the Major's orders. They could only watch in silence as the lone ranger stumbled through the ghost town. She had just made it to the railroad tracks that marked the edge of town before collapsing.

"So now what?" Collins asked.

After another moment of silence the Major let out another curse under his breath.

"Alright, let's go get her. Collins get out your rifle and keep it trained on those houses. You see _anything_ that even remotely resembles a Legionnaire you snipe his ass. Got it!" he ordered.

Collins nodded as he took out his sniper rifle and readied himself.

"Williams you with me. Keep an eye on those hills to the east." Wright told her as they moved.

"Understood, Sir." Williams agreed.

It didn't take them long to make their way towards the fallen ranger. At first sight Major Wright thought the Legion might have exsanguinated her from the way her body was pale and she was slightly cold to the touch. Williams nearly jumped when the body moved and grabbed her arm.

"You have to warn them! They're- the Legion… they're back." The woman managed to cough out.

"She's dehydrated sir." Williams informed Wright as she grabbed her canteen.

"Come on, you're safe now." she reassured the woman as she tried to give her water.

The woman coughed the water back up.

"What the hell did they do to you?" Wright asked knowing he'd regret it later.

"They wanted me to tell all those who came… oh god the outpost don't go there! They've set up traps strapped bodies to the damn monument so they can bake in the sun. They made me watch." She cried.

Williams noticed she had shades on and moved to take them off when the ranger stopped her.

"It's… not pretty." She told her.

"It never is." Williams retorted as she continued to remove the woman's sunglasses. It was at that moment she was glade she had a helmet to mask the look of horror on her face. Wright slightly turn his head to avert his eyes.

"It's that bad huh." The woman smirked as she put the sunglasses back on.

"Think you can make it to Ranger Camp Charlie?" Wright asked.

"What are you talking about she can make it. We'll just have to help her get there." Williams answered.

"No time, if the Legate has led the Legion to this side of the river we'll need all the speed we can muster to get ahead of this.

"But-"

"Don't worry about me, I'll make it. Just make sure the NCR is ready to greet the Legate." The ranger told Williams.

"Let's go, get Collins we're heading straight for Camp McCarren." Major Wright ordered.

"…Alright, Listen ranger you make it to Charlie. You can do it." Williams encouraged as she laid the woman back down.

"Of course I can, wouldn't be a ranger otherwise." She said.

After Williams left Wright stayed behind. He took out a pistol and took out the clip before handing it to her.

"There's one in the chamber." He told her.

"Just in case." She said feeling it in her hand.

"Just in case." He told her. He turned to leave but before he did he asked one more question.

"What's your name ranger?"

"They called me Ghost." She answered.

"The name suites you." Wright complimented as he left.

Back on the ridge Collins nearly jumped when Williams walked up behind him.

"Damn it don't do that… wait, what happened to the ranger?' he asked.

"Those Legion bastards cut her damn eyelids off." Williams told him. She knew those images will stay with her for as long as she lived.

"Why the hell would they do that?" Collins asked.

"So she could watched as they strapped everyone she knew to that god damn monument the NCR built. And after they were done with her they strapped her to something so she could watch the sun go by." Wright answered as he rejoined his unit.

"We need to get a move on, get ahead of this as fast as we can." The Major ordered.

As they started their way making a B-line for Camp McCarren Williams still worried about the ranger they left behind and every now and then would turn hoping to see her right behind them.

"Don't worry Williams, she'll make it." Wright assured her, but deep down he knew. Blinded, dehydrated, and in the middle of the Mojave at night didn't exactly put odds in the ranger's favor and even if she did manage the memories will haunt her for the rest of her life. Who'd want to live after that?

"But, sir." Collins started.

"She'll make it. Rangers never die." He told him.

 **AN: Yes another chapter down! (yeah I know that this one didn't have either Amata, the Courier, or even the Lone Wanderer in it, but I needed to set up the next set events!) some maybe wondering what the other story would be about, well I will say it will have a profound effect on some of our major characters. I will also say that it doesn't take place in the Mojave. Until next time ;)**


	14. Audience with The King

AN: Alright another chapter! (It's about time I know.) to celebrate the return of my computer I'm putting up another chapter! Enjoy!

The King was watching yet another boring show on stage when one of his men came running through the door.

"What is it this time." He sighed stifling a yawn, his dog Rex mimicking his master's actions.

"You wanted to know when ' _ **He**_ ' got here. He's just been spotted just outside the gates." The messenger panted.

The King pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed at his men incompetence. "Do I have to tell you morons to do every little thing? Bring him here!" he ordered.

The King could see the messenger was being a bit hesitant, The Courier had a knack for killing the messenger, but there was something else. "What? Is there something else?" he asked offering a chance for the man to speak up.

"He's with two others, one in power armor and the other with red hair and a pip-boy." He answered.

The King leaned back into his chair as his mind wandered about how 'entertaining' this was going to be.

"…This is New Vegas?" Amata asked a bit skeptical.

"More or less." The Courier answered. After stopping for the night at the Grub N' Gulp the trio continued once the sun dared to spread it's light over the horizon. Amata had pictured New Vegas as a shining beacon of civilization and now as she stood in front of the gates a sense of disappointment washed over her.

"Care to explain why the sign says 'Freeside'?" She pointed out a tad bit annoyed.

"New Vegas is inside, you have to go through Freeside to get there." Veronica clarified.

' _So this is where he went. Let's hope he decided to stay for a bit.'_ Amata thought. Her thoughts was interrupted when a few thugs wearing pinstriped outfits stepped from behind the gates of Freeside.

"You, Courier. The King wants an audience with you." One of the thugs demanded.

"Not even inside the gates yet and you're already causing problems." Veronica muttered.

"King? There's a king here?" Amata asked a bit surprised.

"Not an actual king, just some jackass who calls himself that." The Courier corrected.

"Hey! Don't speak ill of the king!" One of the thugs warned.

"Don't antagonize them. We're only here so Amata can find her friend." Veronica advised.

"She has a point, I rather not waste any more time." Amata agreed.

The Courier gave them both a blank stare before letting out a sigh. "Alright, I'll decline politely." He turned and faced the three thugs.

"You can go tell King he can shove that invitation, we're busy. However I'm free between the times of 'No' and 'When I give a damn'." The Courier told them.

Amata slapped her hand over her eyes, It was stupid to think the Courier would avoid a confrontation, especially when asked to.

"Damn it, would it kill you to at least use a tiny bit of charisma when dealing with others?" Amata scolded as the thugs brandished straight razors and a 9mm pistol.

"To answer your question; yes, I die a little on the inside when I have to 'watch my step' around idiots. When I can simply just do this." The Courier pulled his Sequoia and in three quick shots the thugs were on the ground writhing in pain. With a twirl of his revolver he holstered it and continued pass the incapacitated thugs and into Freeside.

"For the life of me, I still can't think of a good reason you're traveling with him." Veronica sighed as she and Amata walked pass the thugs and into Freeside.

Inside the town looked a mess, trash littered the streets and junkies littered the sidewalks. Amata made sure to keep her pistol close by, she doubted those were the only thugs in Freeside. The Courier strolled through the town as if he owned the place and from the way people would clear the area Amata thought that could be a very real possibility. They were just rounding a corner when they ran into a bigger group of thugs, wielding pipes and wooden baseball bats. They were wearing pinstripes and jean jackets like the three they met at the gates. 'Tunnel Snakes' was the first thing to flash into her mind as some had a pompadour hairstyle.

' _Butch would love to be in this gang.'_ Amata thought.

"We're here to 'escort' you to The King." One thug wearing a black jacket informed them.

"That won't be necessary, you see _'we'_ are not here to see the king." The Courier told them. While he was telling them this his hand was sliding down his side like a snake before resting on his revolver.

"You only got three rounds left in that thing, and as you can see we have the number advantage." The thug smugly told him.

"My, my, it seems one of the King's men have grown a brain. I'll be sure to use one of my three rounds to relieve you of your burden." The Courier countered.

Amata could see that the Courier's remark was only adding onto the tension as the thugs readied their weapons. Veronica cracked her knuckles and almost looked excited at the fact that they were about to get into a street fight.

 _(BANG)_

Both the thugs and the Courier flinched at the sudden sound of gunfire. The thugs looked at one another checking to see if any of them had been shot, seeing that none of them were on the ground bleeding to death they looked at the Courier.

"Hey, wasn't me." He shrugged.

"It was 'ME'!" Amata proclaimed in a commanding tone with her pistol smoking in her hand.

"What if 'I' go see your king?" Amata she continued.

"He's not my king, he's The King." One of the thugs spoke up.

"And he wants to see the Courier, not some- ( _BANG_ )" the other thug was cut off with another round fired into the air.

"The Courier is working for me." Amata told the group.

"No the hell I'm-." The Courier was interrupted when Amata fired another round into the air.

"Until he's satisfied his contract with me, he's not going anywhere." Amata exclaimed.

"Contract? What- _oof_ " Veronica elbowed the Courier in the stomach.

"Shut the hell up, and let her handle this." Veronica ordered.

"So let me be clear, I 'Demand' an audience with The King." Amata demanded.

The group of thugs huddled and spoke amongst themselves.

"Who the does this girl think she is?"

"She's hot but fucking crazy as Brahmin shit."

"Has anyone notice the Pip-boy on her arm?"

"Maybe the King might want to see her."

"Think she knows The Stranger? He did have a Pip-boy on his arm as well."

Amata could over hear them and the last statement caught her attention.

' _The Stranger? Well it seems I might be on the right track, and I bet this King will know where to find him, but it looks like I got to sweeten the deal first.'_ She thought.

"If you idiots haven't thought it through yet, if I go the Courier goes. I see the King the Courier sees the King. Everyone gets what they want." She told them.

"Hey, you can go see The King by yourself, I'm not-" the Courier was cutoff again when Veronica slapped the back of his head.

"Ow, damn it Veronica you're wearing power armor. You could've knocked me out." The Courier complained.

"That was the point, looks like your skull has gotten thicker." Veronica told him.

"Alright, we'll take you to see The King. Make sure he's behaving himself." The lead thug offered.

"Oh, he'll be on his best behavior." Veronica said as she suddenly put the Courier in a headlock. "I'll make sure of that." She added tightening her hold.

" _Ack-_ this is very uncomfortable." The Courier grumbled.

"That gives me small comfort in knowing that. Now come on." Veronica retorted as she began pulling him along.

The group of thugs led Amata through the streets of Freeside drawing the attention of the locals. Murmurs and hushed whispers could be heard as they wondered who this girl was and more importantly why the Courier was in a headlock. Soon they came to a building with a neon guitar with 'The Kings' spelled out on it.

' _I'm going to take a wild guess and say this is there hideout.'_ Amata thought as they walked inside. As she was escorted to the auditorium Veronica finally decided to let go of the Courier's head.

"That wasn't necessary." He told her as he stretch his neck to relieve the strain she put on it.

"Yes it was, now be nice" She told him as she playfully shoved him.

Amata looked around the nearly empty room filled with empty tables and chairs. There was only a man in a white suit watching some lame comedian telling 200 year old jokes.

"The Courier is here but, uh this girl" the thug began when the man in the white suit held up his hand.

"I know." The King said as he turned in his chair.

"You may leave us." He added dismissing him.

As the henchman left the King turned his eyes to Amata.

"You got a lot of nerve… I like that." He smiled.

Amata let out a mental sigh of relief, it seems that the King wasn't prone to just shooting someone outright.

"Well, your honor." Amata started when the King quickly stopped her.

"Oh please, don't call me that. You can call me King. Beautiful." He corrected.

' _You've got to be kidding me.'_ Amata mentally gagged.

"So what makes a girl like you, 'demand' an audience with me?" The King asked.

"Why do you need to see the Courier?" Amata countered.

"I got a job for him, in return I give him some information. It's how we do things in Freeside." The King smirked. The King eyed the Pip-boy on Amata's arm before continuing.

"You know I've recently met a guy with the exact same thing on his arm." He pointed out.

The King could see his statement instantly caught Amata's attention and now he had her right where he wanted.

"I'm guessing I'll have to do something in order to get the information from you." Amata concluded.

"You're a smart girl, you know that." He praised. Around this time his dog Rex walked up to him nosing his thigh obviously trying to get his attention. Amata was a bit put off at the half robot half German Shepard combination, mainly the brain that sat in its container.

"Oh don't mind Rex here, he just wants to go for a walk. Being cramped up in here irritates his joints." He said as he petted the cyberdog. The King looked at Rex then at Amata as if he suddenly had a bright idea.

"It's about time for his walk, how about you take him. A lap around Freeside should do the trick." He suggested.

"You want me to walk your dog." Amata said a bit insulted.

"And in return I'll tell you more about the guy with the pip-boy on his arm." The King added baiting her to accept.

' _I didn't come all this way to walk some scientific abomination!'_ she thought.

' _It's a simple and easy job, plus you get some information for your troubles.'_ She counter thought.

"Alright, but I want your word that that dog isn't going to bite me." She agreed.

"As long as you aren't wearing a hat or mention anything about rats. I see no reason why he would." The King told her.

"Now you be good for the young lady, you hear?" The King told his dog as he scratch behind his ear before handing him over to Amata.

As Amata was leaving the auditorium they walked pass the Courier who was being patted down next to him was a small pile of knives, guns, and bullets. Veronica was merely shaking her head in disapproval of his hidden arsenal. Rex growled at the Courier to which the Courier simply growled back causing the cyberdog to whimper.

" _Sigh,_ don't mess with the dog." Veronica chided.

"Hey he started it." The Courier rebutted.

"Found another one." One of the goons who was patting down the Courier called out as he pulled a small knife from the Couriers sleeve.

"Damn that makes 13 and I just checked that side." Another goon complained.

"You going to make us check you a third time aren't you." The other goon muttered.

"Hey, you wanted me to come." The Courier sneered.

"Why the hell do you need all these knives?" Amata asked

"Never know when they might come in handy." The Courier answered. "So the King is making you walk his mutt." He pointed out. Rex barked at the Courier in response.

"He says you're an asshole." Amata jokingly translated.

"416 and a half on the account that he's a mutt." The Courier noted.

"He's not a mutt, aren't boy. Who's a good boy?" Veronica said as she patted Rex on his head. Rex barked happily in response and licked her cheek.

"Come on, let's go for a walk." Amata called patting her side. Rex excitedly join her side as they stepped outside.

"She going to have her hands full with that one." One of the Kings snickered.

"Why is that?" Veronica ask suspiciously.

"Because that dog always runs off leaving the poor sap behind." he laughed.

"Well wouldn't that had been something you should have told her?" Veronica chided.

"Why? It wouldn't be funny if I did." He answered.

AN: Thanks for waiting, now that I have my computer back in working condition I should be putting out more chapters a bit more frequently.


	15. Ain't nothing but a Cyberhound

AN: Wow! So much time has passed! (Between Fallout 4 and the holidays I'm surprise anyone remembered this fanfic!) I do apologize for the wait so let's get back to the story.

The Courier walked into the auditorium filled with empty tables and chairs with the exception of one. An charismatic individual sat there welcoming him pushing a chair out for him with his foot.

"Have a seat, take a load off." The King offered.

The Courier took King's offer and sat across the table from him, he could see King trying to 'read' him in order to get a better understanding before beginning.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise." King started.

"Cut the Brahmin shit and get to why I'm here." The Courier interrupted.

The King took a few seconds to recompose himself before getting to the matter at hand. "Well straight to the point. It's one of the few things I can actually say I like about you, but as you say let's get to the matter at hand. The Kings would like to request your *ahem* services." He proposed.

"Besides a waste of my time, what would I be getting in return for these services?" the Courier asked.

"In return besides a considerable amount of caps, I have information pertaining to a certain individual wanted by the NCR." King offered.

The Courier sighed as he considered his options. After a few moments of silence he eyed King suspiciously. "What 'services' would I be rendering?" he asked.

"A new gang has seen fit to settle in Freeside, there a bunch of ragtag upstarts so they're not that much of a threat." King answered.

"Then why not wipe them out and be done with it. And save yourself some caps?" the Courier asked pointing out the obvious.

"We could, but I feel my men's time could be better suited doing… eh 'constructive' things." King retorted.

"You mean have an alibi." The Courier corrected.

"The Kings can't be wasting time dealing with undesirables when the people of Freeside need them." King retorted.

"You mean you can't risk your reputation in case these 'undesirables' hand your men their collective asses." The Courier translated.

"You have such a way with words, you know that." The King mockingly complimented.

' _and that makes 417.'_ The Courier thought.

"If you're interested in taking this job, they're holed up in the old Cerulean Robotics factory." King informed him.

"Well, it seems these people are about have a very horrible incident happen to them. Courtesy of me." The Courier smirked as he stood from the table. Before he turned to leave he slid a small knife out of his boot and stabbed the table in front of King.

"Your men missed one." He noted before leaving the auditorium.

The sun was reaching its peak for the day as Amata walked Rex around Freeside, she wondered how a place like this could even function with the amount of trash and addicts that littered the streets.

' _Well this isn't so bad, probably the easiest job you ever had.'_ She thought as they past the Mormon fort. She paid no mind to a bigger than normal rat scurrying across the street but Rex however did.

 _*Growl*_

"What is it?" Amata asked, but she soon she put two and two together.

"Aww no, no, no. Don't you even-" before she could even finish her warning Rex had taken off after his prey.

"Bad dog! Bad robo- doggy thingy. Get back here!" she yelled as she gave chase.

The rat scurried zipping across lots and through ruined building remains all the while Rex gave chase with Amata in tow.

' _Why didn't I asked King for a damn leash!'_ Amata thought as she tried to keep up. The rat darted to the right then left zig zagging down the road as Rex tried to keep up. It was quite the spectacle for those who caught sight of the chase and it had the Kings rolling on the ground watching Amata trying to catch the hound.

' _Well at least I can see why the Courier hates these assholes.'_ She thought.

The rat made a quick turn to the left and soon darted through a hole into a nearby building with Rex close in tow. Amata stopped just outside catching her breath.

"I'm going to kill this dog." She panted exhausted.

She pushed open the nearby door and could see Rex sniffing the ground looking for the rat he lost sight off.

"You can't get them every time boy. Let's get you back home." Amata offered.

"Well, well, look at what the rat dragged in." A gruff individual observed eyeing Amata and Rex.

"Oh no, the dog was just chasing some rodent, we were just leaving." She said as she grabbed Rex by his collar.

"Mr. Nibbles isn't just 'some rodent' he's part of the Rat pack!" the individual retorted as several other men joined him.

"Oh, that was your pet. I apologize for the mishap." Amata quickly excused as she grabbed Rex's collar and began half walking half pulling Rex towards the door, her instincts telling her she shouldn't linger here.

"Isn't that King's mutt?" one of the men recognized Rex.

"Yeah it is isn't it." The gruff individual agreed.

"We should really get back, He-." Amata was cut off with the sound of a shotgun slug being chambered.

"The mutt stays." The gruff individual who was obviously the leader of the group demanded.

' _Well this is just great, you walk a dog and get dognapped all within a day. Setting records for ourselves are we?'_ Amata mentally bemoaned.

"You would think she could handle walking a dog." A voice said out of nowhere.

"Who's there? Come out and show yourself!" the Rat Pack leader demanded.

Amata felt a metal encased hand clasp her shoulder. She turned and saw Veronica behind her motioning her to step back.

"Wait if you're here does that mean?" Amata asked.

"He's using a Stealthboy." Veronica answered in a hushed voice.

"And who the hell are you?" the leader demanded noticing Veronica.

"No one you should concern yourself about, however it seems you've drawn the worst kind of attention to yourself and your group. The Kings hired someone to wipe you all off the face of this wasteland." Veronica answered with a smirk.

"Oh and who would have the balls to tangle with us?" the leader laughed, his men joining along in the laughter.

"That would be me." The Courier answered as his Stealthboy wore off in front of the Rat Pack leader. Amata could see the color drain from the leader's face and the face of his men as the Courier stood before them with his Ranger Sequoia trained on their leader's face.

"It's times like these I wish I could take a picture." The Courier noted before pulling the trigger. The resulting bloody mess scattered bits and pieces of the leader's skull all over the room leaving a headless body teetering before collapsing to the factory floor.

"I'll just let that moment sink in for a bit. Take the time to realize what is about to happen to you and just accept it." The Courier cruelly mocked. Several seconds ticked by when the first poor sap decided to bolt for the door, soon there was a .45 gov't round in his neck and his body careening into the ground next to Amata. Everything seem to snap at once as one man fired his pistol. The round went wild and the Courier rewarded his 'courage' with a round to the chest putting him on his back dead. The remaining members of the Rat Pack quickly got into cover but not before the Courier put down two more as they leap for cover.

Amata still couldn't believe how fast the Courier was with his revolver but she didn't get to admire his handy work for long as Veronica quickly pulled her and Rex out the door.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Amata asked.

"Oh, I'm sure he got that covered." Veronica answered as sounds of a gunfight erupted inside the factory.

The sun was past its peak and was slowly starting its decent towards the horizon when Amata and Veronica walked Rex back to the Kings headquarters. Amata was about to open the door to the building when she noticed an individual walking through the gates and into New Vegas. She was about to dismiss the image when her mind mentally slapped her and made her look again. She caught a glimpse of a Pip-boy 3000 on the individual's arm before the gates of New Vegas closed. Before she knew what she was doing she was running towards the gates and the lethal group of Securitrons that guarded it.

"Haul. All visitors must submit to a credit check." The lead Securitron informed her.

"Whatever just let me the hell in!" Amata exclaimed.

"Insufficient funds. Please leave the immediate area. Or we shall proceed with lethal force." The Securitron warned.

"Look you bucket of-" Amata was cut off when Veronica grabbed her and began pulling her away.

"Sorry my friend had too much to drink at the Atomic Wrangler." She excused.

"Let go, I got to get in there!" Amata demanded.

"Well you sure as hell aren't going to force your way in. So just calm down and tell me what's gotten into you?" Veronica asked as she let go.

"I saw him, I've finally caught up to him." Amata exclaimed.

"Him? Him who?" Veronica asked a bit confused.

"The Lone Wanderer." Amata answered with a smirk.

AN: sorry for the long wait! Yes it has been a long time since the last update. I lose track of time easily and tend to put things off till tomorrow but I'm happy still wanting to know what happens next. So I'll be seeing you next chapter.


	16. The 411 on 101

AN: (Oops my bad.) Alright! Another chapter! I haven't been getting much free time lately but don't worry it just means I'll have to write more when I can! Enjoy!

"The Lone what-now?" Veronica asked a bit confused.

"The Lone Wanderer! He's the entire reason I'm here. I've been looking for him ever since he left the Capitol Wasteland." Amata explained.

"Well if you're going to follow him into New Vegas you're going to need some serious caps." Veronica informed Amata.

' _Damn it! I'm so close.'_ Amata thought as her and Veronica returned to the King's hangout. Once inside Rex barked happily running into the auditorium, excited to reunite with his owner King.

"Well hey there boy, did you have fun out there?" King greeted his pet with a backrub.

"More than you know." Amata muttered as they join them.

"Well I hope he didn't give you too much trouble." King said as he scratched between Rex's ears and brain canister.

"Nothing I couldn't handle, but on a more important note. You said you had some information on the individual I was looking for." Amata said steering the conversation.

"Well don't you want to wait for your friend? I'm sure he'll be here any minute." King retorted.

As if on que the Courier came through the auditorium doors. Amata could see smidges of blood on him along with a bit of what she could only assume was someone's grey matter on his shoulder.

"Well speak of the devil." King noted.

"And here I am." The Courier finished.

"Looks like you had fun." Veronica grimaced.

"Still was a waste of time, but needless to say that they won't be giving anybody anymore trouble. Well except for the guy who has to clean that mess up." The Courier stated as he took off his/Amata's hat to give it a once over.

"You have a bit of… brain on your shoulder." Amata pointed out. The Courier looked at his shoulder and with a noted 'hmm' he flicked it off onto the auditorium floor.

"Well now that's everyone here, let's down to business shall we?" King motioned for one of his men to bring the sack of caps. The sack made a noticeable _thump_ on the table.

"That sack looks a bit small." The Courier noted giving the King a suspicious look.

"That's because it's not for you." King corrected as he nudged the bag towards Amata. She gave it a look and nudged it back.

"I rather prefer the info you said you had on the man with the Pip-boy on his arm." She requested.

"And you will, but the King always pay for services rendered." King said as he pushed the bag back toward her.

"All part of keeping that 'reputation' shiny?" the Courier noted.

The King ignored the obvious ploy to get under his skin and motion another one of his men to go fetch the Courier's payment. He returned carrying a hefty bag of caps in his hand and tossed it to the Courier.

"That's more like it." He said weighing it in his hand.

"Now with that sorted let's get down to what you obviously want." King said as he kicked his feet up.

"The man you're looking for is staying at the Atomic Wrangler, which is right across the street." He informed them as he pointed in the general direction.

"…I think that info is a bit dated." Veronica noted.

"Yeah, I just saw him walk through the gates of New Vegas with my own two eyes." Amata informed him.

"Well I guess you know where's you next stop is then." The King stated.

"It would seem so, if it wasn't for the fact that I'm covered in blood." The Courier said pointing out the blotches of blood stains on him.

"Then I'll just go on ahead then." Amata figured.

"And you could but I doubt King paid you enough to get past the gates." The Courier noted as he headed for the exit.

"What?! How much do you need to make it past the gates?" Amata asked a bit outraged.

"Oh about 2000 caps." He answered.

"2,000! There's no way-" Amata began.

"But there is another way." The Courier led on as he walked out the door. Amata and Veronica exchanged looks before going after him.

The sun was beginning to set behind the buildings of New Vegas casting long shadows over Freeside as Amata ran to catch up to the Courier.

"What do you mean there is another way in?" Amata asked.

"I'll tell you… but first I need to get cleaned up." The Courier stated as he headed to the building with the glowing neon sign reading 'The Atomic Wrangler'. As he opened the door the stench of the place hit Amata full force almost making her reel. The Courier gave the place a once over taking in the scenery before him. A ghoul in a cowboy outfit was taking a client to a back room, gamblers were losing caps just as much as they were gaining them, and at the bar sat a red haired woman who took a look up from her drink to see who let the fresh air in and in an instant immediately recognized the Courier.

"SIX! Is that really you!?" she exclaimed as she leapt from her stool and ran towards him.

"Six? Is she talking to you?" Amata asked the Courier, for the first time she could see something resembling a cringe from the Courier but it quickly disappeared as the red haired woman took a flying leap to embrace him, he quickly side stepped and let Veronica catch her.

' _Someone's actually happy to see him?'_ Amata thought a bit confused.

"Oh, hey V aren't you looking good." The woman flirted.

Amata could see Veronica blush slightly before averting her eyes.

"Oh hey Cass, how are you?" Veronica asked a bit shy.

"Better with you around." Cass winked before turning to face Amata.

"And who the hell are you?" she asked her mood swinging to the dark side.

"Who the hell gave you whiskey? You smell like you bathe in it all day." The Courier noted.

"And all night." Veronica added. Cass quickly lost interest in Amata and turned to face the Courier.

"A… Friend." She answered drunkenly defensive.

Amata saw a new side of the Courier as he pinched the bridge of his nose as if nursing a headache, "Where the hell is Arcade?" he asked in a tired tone.

"Hell if I know." Cass snorted as she took another bottle of alcohol off the bar counter but before she could take a swig the Courier snatched it from her and smashed it on the floor. The sound of broken glass didn't seem to bother the patrons but the one of the proprietors was about to object when the Courier drew his revolver and slammed it onto the bar counter.

"Ooh I just love it when you're forceful." Cass smiled.

"Cassidy." The Courier warned.

" _Sigh_ , he's over at the Fort with the followers, don't worry the Silver rush is locked up." She told him.

"He's supposed to be keeping you sober." The Courier grumbled.

"Oh don't be mad at him, besides I was drinking to celebrate a friend getting entrance into New Vegas." She comforted.

Amata started putting two and two together. "Did your friend have a Pip-boy on his arm?" she asked trying to fit the last piece of the puzzle into place.

Cass completely ignored the question however as she turned her attention back to Amata. "Who's the wallflower?" she asked the Courier.

"Cass meet Amata, Amata meet Rose of Sharon Cassidy." The Courier reluctantly introduced.

"You know I hate it when you do that." Cass fussed.

"You didn't answer my question, did he have a Pip-boy on his arm?" she repeated.

"Yeah, I guess. Never paid it much mind though. Why do you care?" She asked in turn.

"Apparently she's a very good friend of his." The Courier pointed out.

Cass face suddenly lit up as if she had a bright idea come into her head. "Maybe you can help him!" she blurted out.

"What? What do you mean?" Amata asked but before she could get an answer the Courier took a bottle of beer out of another patron's hand and shoved it into Cass mouth.

"Put a pin in it, I would like to hear this, but I got to clean up." He said.

The wronged individual was about to protest the rude exchange but never got the chance as the Courier slammed his head into the bar counter knocking him out. He rummaged through the guy's pockets and came up with a room key.

"Be right back." He said as he headed for the rooms.

Amata could only shake her head in disapproval but she was more interested in what Cass was about to say.

"You said maybe I could help him, what did you mean?" she asked.

Cass held up her finger indicating to wait a second as she chugged the unconscious man's beer, afterwards she let out a less then ladylike belch before answering.

"He's in a bit of trouble, but that's all I'm going to say on the matter till he gets back." Cass slurred.

Amata could see that she wouldn't get any answers unless the Courier was there so she decided to change the subject.

"Earlier you called him Six, is that his name or just a replacement for asshole?" Amata asked.

"Ah hell I did call him that didn't I." Cass cursed under her breath.

"It is but also it isn't." Veronica remarked.

"So it's a nickname." Amata concluded.

"Not so much…" Cass paused as she shared an uncomfortable look with Veronica.

"What are you guys not telling me?" Amata inquired.

"It's not something we should talk about." Veronica warned.

"Alright now I really want to know." Amata demanded.

"Want to know what?" The Courier interrupted making Cass nearly jump out of her skin. He was dressed in reinforced leather armor which seemed a bit baggy for him.

"Well that was fast." Veronica remarked trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, turns out this guy has clothes just my size." He stated kicking the unconscious guy.

"Do you just take anybody's clothes?" Amata asked incredulously.

"Only when I like their style." He answered as he put Amata's former hat on top of his head.

"But really, what did you talk about while I was away." He inquired once more this time with a bit more serious tone.

"Oh, just girl stuff." Cass said as she flashed a smile hoping the Courier would drop the matter. There was a moment of tension as the Courier eyed each of them before suddenly shrugging his shoulders.

"Alright, now where were we?" he asked as he slapped Cass on her back. Amata let out a mental sigh of relief.

"Right, Well your friend… he can't remember his past." Cass finally told her.

"You mean amnesia?" Amata asked a bit confused.

"Yeah, but you know him well enough. Maybe you can jog his memory." Cass suggested.

"Maybe, but first we have to find a way into New Vegas." Amata sighed.

"Well lucky for us I already have that covered." The Courier smirked.

"Well tell us then." Veronica challenged.

"Simple we walk in." The Courier said.

"I already tried to do that. Those rolling bucket of bolts won't let us in without a cap check." Amata countered.

"That's for people who are visiting the New Vegas strip for the first time. For me however I've already met the requirements to get in." The Courier said in a proud manner.

"But there's a catch." He added.

Amata started to get a bad feeling in her stomach once she heard that, but she was so close! She had to get to the Lone Wanderer even more so now that she had some sort of explanation for his actions.

"What is it?" Amata dared to ask.

"I'm only allowed to bring one 'guess' with me." He answered.

"Looks like I'm going to be sitting this reunion out." Veronica concluded.

"It would seem so." Amata agreed.

"I know you must be in a hurry so shall we head out?" the Courier asked.

"One second, may I have a word with you?" Veronica said as she pulled Amata out of hearing range.

"He's up to something." Veronica told her.

"Yeah, kind of figured that one." Amata retorted.

"You be careful." Veronica warned.

"I will and don't worry, we'll come back for you." Amata promised.

"That means a lot." Veronica smiled as they returned to the group.

"Looks like I'm going to be sticking with Cass till Amata's done with her business." Veronica informed them.

"Nice, looks like I get to try my hand at charming you out of that armor of yours." Cass flirted. Amata could see Veronica's face turn bright red.

"N-Not happening!" she quickly shot back.

"Never say never." Cass winked.

"How about we leave these two lovebirds alone." The Courier said as he headed outside.

The sun had completed yet another day and allowed the moon to watch over the night. As Amata joined him outside she could see the neon lights behind the New Vegas gates shine again giving off a welcoming glow, giving promises of riches and a good time. As Amata and the Courier neared the gates the guarding securitron approached.

"Face identification accepted. Welcome Courier." It acknowledged.

"Plus one guess." The Courier told it.

"Plus one guess, red headed female. Recorded. Welcome." It said as it rolled aside allowing them entrance. The gears of the gates crawled to life pulling the chains to slowly open the gates. Amata was mesmerized by the lights the casinos gave off as their glow washed over her.

"Welcome to New Vegas. Enjoy your stay." The Securitron greeted.

AN: Alright! New Vegas finally!


	17. Realization

**AN: Happy holidays and season's greetings! As you all open your presents I hope that you've taken time to check in on the story. (I'm sure I've made someone's Christmas. Lol) Enjoy.**

The sun had long since set on the Mojave Wasteland. Three veteran rangers had travel for two whole days in hopes of at least picking up the trail of the Legion. 2nd Lieutenant Collins was nearly at the end of his rope when Major Wright gave the order to finally rest.

"Damn it, this is getting us nowhere." Wright cursed in frustration as his two comrades rested. For the past two days they have yet to come across a legion scouting party or even a legionnaire for that matter and what made things even more confusing is that they haven't found and 'victims' of the legion or even signs of one.

"No of this is making sense." Wright thought out loud.

"Well, maybe we're going about it all wrong." Collins suggested a bit tiredly. 1st Lieutenant Williams had kept quiet the entire time, in deep thought about the whole situation and decided it was time to let the others in on her train of thought.

"I've been thinking…" she started.

"Aww hell, I hate it when she begins a sentence like that." Collins moaned.

"What's wrong with me thinking?" she shot back defensively.

"I mean you always come up with these nightmarish conclusions, and they have a track record of coming true." Collins explained.

"Well I'm just putting what facts we gathered together." She retorted.

"Enough you two… I think it's time we address the Bighorn in the room." Wright suggested.

"I hate addressing the Bighorn. Can't we just let it be?" Collins muttered miserably even though he already knew they're going to do it even if he was against it.

"No, we can't… not anymore." Williams answered.

"Fine, I mind as well say what we all are thinking… How big would an attack force has to be to overrun the Mojave outpost?" He tossed into the open for discussion.

"Taking into consideration the fact that an entire battalion of NCR soldiers and a few squads of Desert Rangers were posted there awaiting redeployment." Wright added.

"That would make the Legate's forces really big." Williams muttered still partially in thought.

"Why do I get the feeling we only touched the tip of your enormous 'thought' iceberg." Collins sighed. For once Wright was beginning to believe Collins in his analysis of 1st lieutenant Williams and decided to simply open the flood gates.

"Alright Williams, lay it on us." He ordered.

There was a pause as 1st Lieutenant took a deep breath before beginning. "So let's go with the worst case scenario, that Legate Lanius has decided to switch from Caesar's tactic of guerrilla warfare to what he specializes in, which would be 'total' warfare."

"Care to elaborate?" Collins asked.

"I mean **'Total'** as in throwing everything in your arsenal in order to achieve victory. From slaves and recruits to their best Centurions. I mean nothing is left off the table any and all strategies no matter how high the self-damaging the risk might be. All for the one simple goal of coming out on top." She explained.

"Hold on a second, for that to even remotely be possible. They would need a force nearly three times the size of those that were at the second battle of Hover damn, and if they did have the numbers, and that's a pretty damn big 'if' where could they all be? Scouts would've been picked up on those numbers." Collins countered reasoned but Williams was ready with an answer.

"True, but take into fact of the Courier's reports, he encountered a Legion camp several days ago and not soon after that the Nipton town hall was set ablaze, most likely in an attempt to remove the Courier from the equation and when we went to investigate we discover that the outpost was sacked. Now ask why would they hit the outpost? They've already proven to us that they can cross the river why hit an outpost and risk letting the enemy finding out." She proposed.

After a moment of silence Major Wright had the answer. "Shit, the traders." Williams solemnly shook her head in agreement. "Traders with weapons, armor, and supplies. ' **Our** ' supplies. They cut us off, I think he's planning a siege." Williams concluded.

"A siege? Of New Vegas? That's…" Collins trailed off as the mere thought of the possibility was made clear.

"Entirely possible." Wright finished.

"We'd be wasting our time warning them, we'd just get caught in the Legate's trap." Williams added.

"Well shit, what do we do?" Collins asked.

"We adjust." Wright answered.

"And just how do we 'adjust' to this?" Collins inquired a bit frustrated.

"One step at a time. But first we have to figure out where he's hiding his forces." Wright said as he looked towards the city of New Vegas. The lights outshined even the brightest of stars in the night sky, hundreds of NCR soldiers and thousands of civilians partied on unknowing of the plans the Legion had in store for them.

"If they have the numbers there is one place to hide them, all the while keeping an eye on their target." Wright thought out loud.

"Red Cliff Canyon." Williams answered coming to the same conclusion.

"So we rally our forces and hit them before they hit us." Collins suggested.

"No good. They'll have elevation and defensive position advantage, we'd just be walking into a shooting gallery." Williams shot down.

"Then we're honestly fucked every way to Sunday." Collins spat.

"Not… entirely." Williams led on.

"1st Lieutenant Williams, if you have a way to un-fuck this situation I would very well like to hear it." Major Wright ordered.

"No one's going to like it, but it's the only way we might stand a chance… it involves the Courier." She added.

"Aww hell." Collins muttered.

"Williams…" Wright cautioned.

"We all know he has a contingency plan in case everything decides to go to shit for him." Williams began.

"…or if he just gets bored with the Mojave." Collins added.

"I'm just saying we inform him of what's coming and strongly suggest that he help us." Williams stated.

"You mean beg." Collins put it simply.

After another moment of silence pass by Major Wright sighed in resignation. "Williams this could go either horribly for the NCR or disastrous for all of the Mojave, knowing that are you still willing to take the risk?" he asked his 1st Lieutenant.

"…Yes." She answered.

 **AN: Alright hope you enjoyed this chapter. (Yes I know you wanted the reunion to happen this chapter and this is just a little bit of filler but it will be well worth it later on.)**


	18. Ring a Ding Ding

**AN: Now for the moment you've all been waiting for! (Ok maybe not all.) Enjoy!**

Amata stood in the middle of the New Vegas strip nearly mesmerized by the sights and sounds of her surroundings, when the Courier chimed in with a question.

"So… any idea where to find him?" he asked.

After a few moments of silence pass Amata could feel a slight vein pulsing on the side of her forehead.

' _Now I got to find him in here!?'_ she thought, she racked her brain tearing through any detail no matter how small in hopes of getting an idea of where he might of head to inside the New Vegas strip. She let out a sigh along with her answer. "No."

"Well I'm sure if you take a look around you'll get a clue." The Courier suggested, it came as a bit odd to Amata as he didn't strike her as the 'helpful' type.

' _Careful he's up to something.'_ The warning Veronica gave her suddenly popped into her mind.

' _That's right, he_ _ **is**_ _up to something… but what?'_ Amata thought doing her best not to let her suspicion to show.

"Well hello there, welcome to the Strip. Is this your first time?" a voice said cutting into Amata's train of thought.

"Uh, yeah." She answered before she knew who she was answering. She turned to face who asked her the question and came face to face with a scantily dressed woman who handed her a flier. On the flier a silhouette was pole dancing with the words 'Cum have a good time at Gomorrah!" printed over it.

"Um, thanks?" Amata said accepting the flier a bit off put, but before the woman walked away an idea popped into Amata's head.

"Excuse me but can you tell me if a man about average height and build walked through here?" she asked.

"Honey take a look around that describes nearly everyone." The woman answered.

"He had one of these on his arm." Amata added pointing to the Pip-boy on her arm.

The woman squinted at the device and soon her eye grew wide with realization. "Yeah, I saw something just like that, figured you have to be rich to afford some pre-war tech like that. I pointed him towards Gomorrah obviously but he seemed more interested in the Lucky 38, but after I told him that that place hasn't had visitors in a long while he seemed to lose interest and headed off in to the second half of the strip." The woman answered.

"Second half? Where?" Amata asked excitedly.

The woman had barely pointed to the second set of gates before Amata took off towards them. The gates couldn't open fast enough for her as she squeezed her way pass the crowds that had gather to transition to the other part of the strip. On the other side she was greeted with two casinos.

"So, which one do you think he's in?" the Courier asked once he managed to catch up.

"I don't know." Amata said but in truth she had an idea which casino the Lone Wanderer might be in. she looked at the casino on the left, it had a white fountain in from and the words 'Ultra-luxe' flashing in cursive on the building's front. It struck her as something that was a bit too fancy for her taste and most like the Lone Wanderer's as well which left her with the casino on the right which was light up from head to toe in lights with the title 'Tops' lit in big lights.

"We should split up. You take the one on the left. I'll take the one on the right." Amata suggested, she headed off towards the Tops before he had a chance to object. Once inside the casino she approached the greeter.

"Well hey toots, what brings you to the greatest place in New Vegas?" he greeted with a flirt, but Amata had completely ignored it and shove her Pip-boy in his face.

"Have you seen a man with this on his arm?" she demanded.

"Whoa, hey take it easy, everything's smooth as silk baby." The greeter said keeping his composure, after taking a look at the Pip-boy he nodded in acknowledgment. "Yeah I've seen a dude with that exact same thing on his arm… what's it to you?" he asked suspicious.

"Nothing." She quickly lied as she started to head into the casino, but the greeter grabbed onto her arm.

"Hey, Hey, there kitten. I know you're excited to have a fun time but we have rules here." He told her as he nodded to the 9mm on her waist.

"We don't allow weapons inside, don't want an incident like last time." He said as he asked her to turn in her weapons.

'Well I guess that makes sense.' Amata thought as she began to place her weapons in the holding bin. She took the time to look around. Despite it's 'extravagant' lighting outside the inside looked a bit less promising. Bodyguards dressed in prewar business outfits to give off an 'authentic' business/entertainment environment each with slicked back hairdos. Gamblers gathered around the roulette tables winning and losing money at the drop of a ball. Others sat in front of machines pulling levers watching pictures spin by as their time and money went along with it. Part of Amata couldn't understand why anyone let alone the Lone Wanderer would come her and yet another part of her wanted to try her luck at one of those machines.

' _Just one pull.'_ She thought, she suddenly realized what was happening to her and she quickly shook the notion out of her head.

' _No! Stay focus! You didn't come all this way just to waste away in front of some machine.'_ She reasoned with herself. Her thought was suddenly interrupted with the sound of one of the machines going off, bells chimed and alarms dinged telling all that the individual sitting in front had won a huge payoff, but something seemed off… the individual sitting in front of the machine had no reaction to it as if numb to it all, when the bells stopped chiming and the alarm died down the individual collected his winning and got up. Amata didn't need to see the Pip-boy on his arm, because she knew who he was. She felt her body go hot and then suddenly cold, a burden she didn't know she was carrying had suddenly made itself known and shifted on her shoulders. There was no thoughts in her head as her feet began moving her towards the individual. The individual settled himself at a blackjack table oblivious to the woman following him at a distance.

' _Maybe you can help him.'_ Cass words flashed into Amata's head.

"I will." Amata said to no one.

' _He doesn't remember.'_

"Then I will remind him." She said as pent-up emotions started to reach critical mass the closer she got to him. Her heart raced as she was close enough to reach out and touch him.

' _What are you going to say to him?'_ she asked herself and soon she had her answer.

"Remember me?"

…

"Remember me?"

The Lone Wanderer's body went straight as if he had been hit with a lightning bolt and before he even knew what was coming out of his mouth he said.

"Amata?" he said as he turned and face the red haired woman. He didn't know how he knew her but he was sure that was her name, what was worst was the look on her face. She looked exhausted yet relieved but she also looked furious and for the life of the Lone Wanderer he couldn't understand why.

Amata had found him, after trailing him across the vast wastelands that made up America, fighting, killing, running. She had finally found him… at a table… playing blackjack. There was so many emotions fighting to gain control she finally decided to pick one… she punched him.

"You… Son of a Bitch! What the hell's wrong with you? Why did you leave? Did I do something wrong?" she cried as her tears refused to be held back anymore.

Ignoring the stinging sensation in his jaw the Lone Wanderer looked at Amata dumbfounded. Did he wrong her in some way? Why what did he leave behind? This red-haired woman named Amata raised more questions in his mind but somewhere deep inside he knew she had the answers.

"Alright put the claws away, no need to let a lover's quarrel get out of hand." A bouncer said placing a hand on Amata's shoulder, before she could protest the Lone Wanderer floored him with a straight punch.

' _Why the hell did I just do that?'_ he thought as he looked at her.

"You have to tell me, who am I?" he asked her grabbing her shoulders.

Amata was caught off guard by the question. "You're the Lone Wanderer, you know the urban ranger of the Capitol Wasteland." She told him hoping it would jog his memory.

She could see him searching his mind for any faint trace of the memory or any for that matter.

"I need more to go on." He told her hurriedly.

"W-well where do I begin?" Amata asked eager to help.

"How about you're under arrest." The Courier announced startling Amata.

"Wait!? What? On what grounds?" Amata shouted her anger getting the best of her.

"Take your pick, fleeing from NCR justice, destruction of property, running an NCR blockade, or the assault he just committed." The Courier listed as a group of NCR soldiers joined him.

"You, you weren't supposed to be here." Amata told him.

"And you just admitted to attempting to aid and abet a fugitive on the run from NCR justice, way to go Amata." The Courier informed her.

"Y-you can't do this! I-I trusted you." Amata said in disbelief.

"10th person to tell me that. Yeah, not your best decision, but I do have to say you gave me a run for my money. I mean I've never met someone with your resolve. I was sure you were going to bite it when the Legion set fire to the townhouse, and don't get me started about the vault." The Courier rambled.

"But you saved me…" Amata trailed off.

"True, but I was also saving myself and hey I had to protect my asset, especially if she was going to lead me to the big catch." The Courier explain nodding toward the Lone Wanderer.

"It's nothing personal." He added, to which the Lone Wanderer glared at him.

"Your friend isn't much of a talker." The Courier pointed out.

"You asshole!" Amata yell infuriated.

"418! Wow you really like that word don't you?" the Courier goaded.

"I'm going to kill you!" she yelled as she charged.

The Courier quickly pulled his ranger sequoia and trained it on Amata's forehead. "216th, you know, you'd think people would catch on. Everyone says that and yet no one has been able to follow through with it, obviously because I'm still alive and so far 195 people who've said that have died, all by my hand of course… don't be 196th." He warned as he pulled the hammer back with his thumb.

Amata looked around, eyeing each NCR soldier, trying to figure a way out of this mess. Until the Lone Wanderer spoke up.

"Amata, I know it's hard to see it but there is a way out of this, but it's not through fighting." He told her.

Amata looked back at the Long Wanderer and suddenly a sharp pain hit her in the back of her head knocking her to the ground. As her conscious began to fade the Courier stood above her.

"That was for Goodsprings." He told her before she lost conscious.

"You didn't have to do that!" the Lone Wanderer yelled.

"Yeah, I didn't have to but damn if it didn't feel right." The Courier said as he ordered the soldiers to handcuff her and the Lone Wanderer. As they marched him pass the Courier he planted his feet becoming almost a stump in the ground.

"I barely know that girl but I could tell from the way she sounded. She really believed in you and you repay her kindness with this? Let me tell you something. I will get free, some way, somehow, I don't care what deal with the devil I have to make but I'll come for you." The Lone Wanderer threatened.

"Yeah, yeah now you're just grandstanding." The Courier blew off as the NCR soldiers finally shoved him off.

As he followed after them he saw Amata's limp unconscious body being half carried and half dragged in front of the Lone Wanderer and a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time struck him in the chest, it was the same feeling of when he had destroyed the Brotherhood of Steel's bunker and thus erasing everything and everyone Veronica loved… it was guilt.

 **AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as I did in writing it. (Though it took me a while!)**


	19. Another day another problem

**AN: Welcome to the New Year! My resolution is to finish this story! So that I may begin work on the next!**

Amata was walking down a long dark road with only the light from the moon and stars to help her navigate the rough pass. She had lost track of how long she had been walking, in fact she couldn't recall seeing anyone on the same road. As she walked on she noticed a small faint orange glow in the distance, or to be more accurate a light from a lit cigarette. As she walked closer she could see the silhouette of a man leaning against a sign.

"Hey, can you tell me where I'm at?" she called out to him but got no answer. She figured the individual didn't hear her and moved closer.

"Hey, did you hear me? Do you know where I'm…" she was cut off with a loud gunshot, the stranger had drew his sequoia and fired before Amata had a chance to react. She instinctively grabbed her stomach where the bullet impacted and looked down at her own blood before looking back at the stranger. The light from the cigarette revealed that the stranger that had shot her was the Courier…

…

Amata's eyes shot open and soon regretted the action as the artificial light blinded her and a sharp pain in the back of her head promptly made itself know, as if it didn't want to be left out of welcoming her back to reality. She greeted them both with a miserable groan.

"Well somebody's back amongst the living." The Lone Wanderer said.

"W-where am I?" Amata asked as her eyes adjust to the light.

"Let's see… a ceiling, concrete floor, four walls one of which is made of bars. I'm going to say jail." He sarcastically guessed.

"How long was I out?" she asked as she sat up.

"Judging from the clock on my Pipboy I say It's been a day, the time now is 7:15am." He informed her.

Amata suddenly remembered what had happened as she rubbed the back of her head.

"That son of a bitch!" she yelled in anger.

…

"Well hello there sleepy head, you look like you had some fun last night." A bubbly happy robotic voice said to the Courier. He was sleeping off a binge of Med-X and alcohol and was hoping to sleep through the hangover but that was not to be.

"Damn it, Yes man leave me alone." He mumbled as he tried to block sunlight from hitting his face.

"Well normally I would, but an urgent matter needs your attention." Yes man replied.

"Shit, what is it now?" the Courier muttered still not budging.

"There are three NCR rangers outside waiting on you." Yes man informed him.

"You know the protocol." The Courier said turning over trying to fall back asleep.

"Well, about that. Do you think it's wise to tell them to 'intercourse with themselves'? I mean what they have to say might be important." Yes man reasoned.

The Courier sighed as he sat up, the beautiful sight of all of New Vegas greeted him from the top of the Lucky 38 casino, but it was a sight that was wasted on him as he begrudgingly stood up.

"One, the correct phrase is 'Go fuck themselves'. Two, why can't they tell you what it is and you simply relay the message to me?" he pointed out mildly annoyed.

…

"So, think he'll come down to talk? Or better yet maybe he'll invite us up." Collins asked nudging Williams with his elbow.

"He'll probably tell us to go fuck ourselves." Lieutenant Williams guessed with a sigh. The two rangers had been greeted by a securitron with a cartoonish face when they buzzed the door, and after insisting numerous times that the information they had could only give to the Courier directly. The securitron had disappeared back into the Lucky 38. Major Wright had gone on ahead to the NCR embassy to informed Ambassador Crocker of the highly likely threat from the Legion.

"And if he does?" Collins asked.

"He won't, or more as a matter of fact he can't due to the fact that he stands to lose a lot more than the NCR does." Williams answered.

"Stand to lose what?" the Courier asked through a small crack in the casino's doors. Williams couldn't help but notice that he was trying to keep out the light as if he was a creature of darkness. She began be removing the latches on her helmet.

"What are you doing?" Collins asked a bit surprised.

Williams ignored him as she took off her helmet revealing the woman inside of it. She looked at the Courier with piercing grey eyes.

"The NCR needs your help." She pleaded.

"The NCR always needs my help. Help! The Legion is attacking! Help! The Fiends are raiding our caravans!" the Courier mocked in a high pitch voice.

"This is serious! The Legion are setting their sights on New Vegas. If we don't act quickly they'll overrun us in no time." She told him.

"You're the 212th person to tell me 'this is serious!'. Everything dealing with the NCR, New Vegas, or the Mojave in general is serious and this is no different." The Courier said with a yawn, Williams could see she hadn't won him over.

"What if I told you that the Legate has taken off the kitty gloves and has amassed a massive army, that they have the numbers to put McCarren and New Vegas under siege." Williams told him.

"Well I can see where that would be problematic… just not for me." The Courier retorted nonchalantly.

"You can't be serious, you do know what they'll do to you?" Collins asked a bit taken back by the Courier's lack of empathy.

"89th person to wonder if I was serious, and I am well aware of the threat that the Legion poses to New Vegas." The Courier answered.

"Then what do you plan to do?" Collins asked a bit ticked.

The Courier only answered with a blank stare. It was then Williams came to realize what the Courier's intent could be.

"You're going to hang us out to dry…" she muttered disheartened.

"…A very interesting guess ranger." The Courier answered as he slammed the door closed.

"Williams, what the hell just happened?" Collins asked shocked and confused.

"I believe he just told us to go fuck ourselves." She muttered.

…

Inside the Lucky 88 the Courier began his walk back toward the elevator and was soon joined by Yes man who had been standing out of sight eavesdropping on the Courier's conversation with the NCR rangers.

"Yes Man, is there any truth to what they said?" he asked.

"Yes, securitrons sent to monitor the large foot traffic in Red Cliff Canyon have gone offline. Seems someone doesn't want us to know what's going on in there." Yes Man replied.

"Damn, it's just one thing after another." The Courier sighed.

 **AN: Alright first chapter of the New Year! (let's just hope I can finish this story before next year!)**


	20. Et tu, Amata?

AN: Welcome back! Wow 20 chapters already! (This is becoming quite the story.) Enjoy.

"I can't believe him!" Lt. Williams fumed as she and Collins headed towards the NCR Embassy.

"I can." Collins added. It didn't come as a surprise to him, the Courier had a reputation to turn people down especially when they were in dire need. Why would he be any different towards the NCR?

"I was completely sincere, even took off my helmet to prove it!" she ranted.

"So that's what that part was about." Collins noted to himself.

"Of course it was! _Argh_! Now what are we going to do?" Williams asked. She had mistakenly bet everything on the Courier agreeing to help fight against the Legion, and now that he had shattered all the proverbial eggs in a basket, they were left with nothing.

"Look I'm sure Major Wright will come up with something, he's always has a backup just in case." Collins said trying to reassure her.

"I hope so. I honestly can't think of anything else." She admitted.

Back at the NCR Embassy Amata and the Lone Wanderer had been moved to an interrogation room with a dim light dangling above them. Their hands bounded behind them as the interrogator questioned them in turn. Amata had answered any question they had to the best of her knowledge however the same couldn't have been said for the Lone Wanderer.

" _Sigh_ , alright for the fifth time. What is your name?" their interrogator asked pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And for the fifth time, and let me say this slow so you can understand. I. Don't. Know." The Lone Wanderer answered pronouncing each syllable.

Amata had found this routine funny the first three times but now it was just getting sad.

"He really doesn't know, he has amnesia." She cut in before the cycle could begin again.

"Well you seem to know him very well, speaking of which what is your relation to him? Siblings? Lovers?" the interrogator asked.

Amata looked at the Lone Wanderer who looked back at her wondering the same thing.

"We're not related." She answered both of them.

"So… Lovers?" The Lone Wanderer asked with uncertainty.

Amata's face flushed red before quickly answering with a resounding 'No'.

"Well I got nothing." The Lone Wanderer told the interrogator. Amata could see that the headache the interrogator was nursing was being compounded with stress.

"I going to go see what Ambassador Crocker wants to do with you two. In the meantime I suggest you reflect on your questionable actions." He said as he stepped out of the room leaving them alone.

"So what else 'Do' you know about me?" The Lone Wanderer asked.

Major Wright let out a sigh as Williams and Collins informed him of the Courier's decision.

"Well I guess we can't force him to cooperate." Major Wright sighed. He scratched the bottom of his chin in deep thought when Ambassador Crocker called them into his office.

"Alright, I've been informed of our current situation and has sent word back west about securing more reinforcements. Now it has come to my understanding that they may not make it in time and I do hope you had some luck with the Courier." He inquired folding his hands on his desk.

"I wish I could sir but no such luck, Sir." Williams told him.

"Well I figured as such. Major Wright you've been the NCR's main contact between us and the Courier, do you think he might need a bit of convincing?" Crocker asked.

"The Courier isn't someone who'd take any type of convincing lightly." Wright answered. Ambassador Crocker nodded his head in agreement. "I agree, so the problem is how do we proceed from here?" he asked.

1st Lieutenant Williams moved to close the door cutting them off from any nosy passersby before returning to the conversation.

"I've been thinking…" she started.

"I told you I hate it when you do that." Collins told her.

"Just hear me out, everyone in this room knows the Courier has his own army of Securitrons." She stated.

"The NCR is well aware of this Lieutenant. Where are you going with this?" Crocker asked.

"Well, what if we didn't need him, just what he possess?" Williams asked leaving breadcrumbs for them to follow.

"You mean the Platinum Chip." Major Wright said following along.

"Exactly, if we can get ahold of it. Then…" Williams continued.

"Then there wouldn't be much use for the Courier." Collins noted.

"Well yeah but I'm leaning more towards using that army to bolster our forces." Williams corrected.

"But 2nd Lieutenant Collins does have a point." Ambassador Crocker pointed out.

"Now hold on a minute Sir, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Major Wright asked as the conversation took a dark turn.

"I'm merely suggesting dealing with an issue the NCR has had for a while… and if that means a courier is to meet an unfortunate end…"Crocker began.

"Not _**'A'**_ courier, _**'The'**_ Courier! We're talking about assassinating an individual who has helped the NCR in the past, as well as a combat veteran." Wright protested.

"It is true that he has helped us secure Hoover Dam as well as other assets but it seems he no longer wishes to assist us further. Such individuals are of no use to the NCR." Crocker stated.

"If this fails, there will be hell to pay and then some." Collins pointed out.

"There's no way I'm risking NCR soldiers for this." Wright noted.

"And there will be no blood on the NCR hands, we simply have to find someone with the capability and motive to carry the act out. We would simply be beneficiaries from such an unfortunate event." Crocker informed them.

"I-I feel a bit sick." Williams said fighting the urge to hurl. She didn't mean to suggest assassinating the Courier but things were starting to snowball out of her control.

"And that is why I sit behind this desk, to make the decisions a soldier shouldn't." Crocker told her.

"Well that's all good and all but where are we going to find someone who's willing to take on the Courier?" Collins asked, and as if on cue an individual knocked on the door.

"Not a word of this gets out, that's an order!" Crocker told them as he called the individual in.

It was the interrogator coming to inform the Ambassador on the two prisoners in detainment. It was then Williams saw the two dots connect in the Ambassador's mind.

"I'll will have a word with them… alone." Crocker said standing up from his seat. The interrogator was about to protest but the look on the Ambassador's face told him he should forget everything he knows about the detainees.

"There was this time when I killed a twenty feet tall super mutant." Amata went on.

"I can see it, yet I can't believe it." The Lone Wanderer said trying to relive the memory in his head. It was at this time the door to their interrogation room opened and a man in a pre-war business suit walked in eyeing the two of them.

"Amata, do I know a Mister Burke?" the Lone Wanderer whispered.

"Not that I know of, why?" she asked.

"Nothing, just got a bad vibe with this guy." He retorted.

"I take it the interrogator wasn't too hard on you." The man began.

He only got stares in return, so he took it as his cue to continue.

"Introductions are in order, I am Ambassador Crocker. I represent the New California Republic here in the Mojave. From what I gathered you two are in quite the predicament, well I just so happen to have a ticket out of it." He told them. Amata could see the cogs turning in the Lone Wanderer's mind, a possible way out of this mess but she knew no offer of freedom was free.

"What are you asking in return?" Amata asked suspicious of the Ambassador's intentions.

"In return we, the NCR, would like you to retrieve something from someone." He answered vaguely. Amata wasn't liking where this was going but they had no other choice from her point of view.

"What is it that you want and who has it." The Lone Wanderer inquired, he had already made up his mind that no matter what the task is he'll do it as long as it meant he and Amata were free to go.

"I like your attitude young man, and I have no doubt that you will be able to complete this task without incident." Crocker complimented.

"Cut the shit and tell me what the job is." The Lone Wanderer demanded.

"Very well, the object in question is a Platinum chip." Crocker answered.

"What does it do?" Amata asked.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with." The Ambassador retorted.

"Alright then, tell us who has it." The Lone Wanderer inquired.

Crocker cleared his throat before answering. "The Courier."

Amata suddenly got a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she could see the Lone Wanderer already forming ideas in his head. It seemed his memory may have been lost but his shrewd strategic mind was intact and in full swing.

"Any idea where he is at this moment?" the Lone Wanderer asked gathering information.

"He's currently inside the Lucky 38… I take it you accept?" Ambassador Crocker asked.

"We go and retrieve this Platinum chip, we return it to you and we're free to go. Just that simple?" Amata asked a bit skeptical.

"Just that simple." He answered.

"You don't expect him to hand it over without a fight, chances are either I kill him or he kills me." The Lone Wanderer concluded.

"It is a possibility." Crocker simply answered.

"What if we can get it back ' _ **without**_ ' killing him?" Amata asked wishing to avoid bloodshed.

"If you can you are more than welcome to try." Crocker said with a halfhearted smirk.

"But I doubt you're that good." He added.

"Nevermind that, there is one thing I request to do this." The Lone Wanderer said.

"And what would that be?" Crocker asked with mild intrest.

"I'm going to need a stealthboy."

The sun was beginning it's decent from it's noon position when Amata and the Lone Wanderer exited the NCR Embassy. The feeling in her stomach wasn't going away and she had a feeling it wouldn't for a while.

"Are we really going to go through with this?" Amata asked the Lone Wanderer.

"Yeah, we are." He answered coldly.

"You do understand that this can't end well." Amata pointed out.

"So what would you have us do?" The Lone Wanderer asked checking the stealthboy on his hip.

"I don't know just get as far away from here as possible?" she retorted.

"We'd spend the rest of our days looking over our shoulders and wondering when a sniper's bullet is going to pierce our skull. I rather not live like that. Besides this guy has it coming, you said it yourself earlier." The Lone Wanderer rebutted.

"I was angry at the time but I've had time to think things over and yes, I agree wholeheartedly that he's an asshole who needs his ass handed to him, but I rather we not become some lapdog of the NCR." Amata said as they neared the tower that was the Lucky 38.

"So what? You want us to get the chip without hurting him?" The Lone Wanderer asked.

"I never said anything about not hurting him." Amata answered as she climbed the steps of the Lucky 38.

The Courier had just managed to doze back to sleep when Yes Man interrupted his slumber.

"It seems you have no shortage of visitors today." The securitron stated.

"It's probably the NCR again, you know the drill." The Courier muttered.

"Actually it is a young red head, she appears to be by herself." Yes Man informed him.

At the mention of the red head the Courier sat up with another sigh. "The NCR must have let her go with a fine and a stern warning. Probably expects me to help break out her boyfriend." He muttered.

"Shall I turn her away?" Yes Man asked.

"No, I'll do it. Least I could do." He said stifling a yawn.

' _It was about time I got up anyway.'_ He thought noting the setting of the sun.

As he rode the elevator down a sense of guilt mixed with nervousness gnawed at his stomach.

' _Why the hell am I feeling this way?'_ he thought.

' _She was part of a job, nothing more.'_ He dismissed as the elevator dinged announcing its arrival to the ground level. The doors opened up to the dark abandoned casino floor and he proceeded towards the door.

' _She's going to be pissed.'_ He thought

"Wouldn't be the first time." He mumbled to himself. He opened the door enough to see her standing there with a smile. Her smile caught him off guard to the point he didn't notice the shimmering being standing behind her.

"We're going to need that Platinum chip." Amata demanded.

"W-what? How do-" the Courier began but he was cut off when an invisible fist crashed into his face knocking him from the door. When he looked back at Amata he could still see her in the doorway only slightly distorted. Another punch floored him, his mind raced to connect the dots and soon the answer came to him. His attacker was using a stealthboy. He tried to get up to defend himself but his attacker floored him again with a kick to the ribs. The invisible intruder grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him close to his face as the effects of the stealthboy faded away revealing the Lone Wanderer with a menacing look on his face.

"I told you we'll meet again." The Lone Wanderer told him before delivering a blow knocking the Courier unconscious.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Things are about to start picking up in the later chapters as the legion draws near!


	21. Two sides of a Platinum chip

AN: Sorry for the wait! (I've been busy lately!)

The Courier slowly stirred as he began waking up. Suddenly a cold bucket of water splashed against his face snapped him back to reality. A bit confused as to what had happened a sharp pain in his jaw caused him to slightly groan.

"Welcome back." His captor said as he set the bucket aside, the individual wore combat armor with a wastehound hood over his head obscuring his identity, but the Courier knew who he was. He also knew the red headed female who leaned against the wall looking at him with crossed arms.

"I'm going to make this simple." The Lone Wanderer told him.

"Tell us where the Platinum chip is and we'll leave you be." He offered.

The Courier ignored him as he surveyed his surroundings, he immediately recognized the familiar surroundings that was the Cocktail lounge of the Lucky 38. He tried the restrains on his hands but they offered little to no room to maneuver.

"You're not getting out of those, believe me I should know." The Lone Wanderer commented as he watched the Courier try to get his bearings, he would've tried the same thing if their roles were reversed.

"Well I guess you're the one who tied me up, your friend couldn't tie a knot to hang herself." The Courier jested. The Lone Wanderer glanced at Amata.

"And you wanted to keep him alive." He said as he delivered vicious backhand to the Courier's face almost knocking the chair over.

"Just tell us where it is. There's no need to take this any further." Amata told him, but her offering only served to make the Courier laugh.

"What's so funny?" Amata demanded feeling insulted.

The Courier managed to get his laughter under control so he could explain.

"The NCR sends me after this guy and what do they end up doing? They send the very same guy after me." He said as he erupted in laughter once more.

Amata had to admit that the Courier was right but she wasn't going to acknowledge it, more importantly she wanted to know how the Courier knew that the NCR sent them.

"Yeah, Karma can be a real bitch sometimes." The Lone Wanderer told him.

"What makes you think the NCR sent us? For all you know we could be doing this to get revenge for what you did." Amata questioned.

"Oh, come on! It's not rocket science. The only people who are even aware of what the Platinum chip does are the higher ups in the NCR, yours truly, and the Legate…" the Courier paused as a moment of realization came to him.

"You idiots don't even know what the damn thing does!" He said before laughing again.

"Then maybe you should tell us." The Lone Wanderer demanded as he grabbed the back of the Courier's neck in a vice grip.

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" the Courier goaded.

The Lone Wanderer released his grip and kicked the Courier in the chest knocking him onto his back and pulled a black and gold revolver he kept tucked behind his back and pointed it at the Courier's face.

"Is this a good enough reason?" he answered.

" _Sigh_ , you do know such a gesture is pointless. You haven't learned the whereabouts of the chip or what it does. You do however get an 'A' for effort." The Courier noted.

"You're right, and I doubt you will ever tell us no matter how much pain is inflicted on you. So why don't we skip the unpleasantries and just put one between your eyes?" the Lone Wanderer concluded.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time." The Courier muttered.

"Amata, if you have anything else to say to him, I strongly suggest you say it now." The Lone Wanderer told her as he sat the Courier upright. Amata grabbed a nearby chair and placed it in front of the Courier and sat in it.

"What is this? Some new interrogation technique?" the Courier mocked. Amata ignored the obvious ploy to get under her skin as she studied his body language. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence she could see the Courier slightly avert his eyes to avoid looking at her hazel brown eyes.

"I've never done anything like this before… I don't really know where to begin." She finally told him.

"Well people usually monologue on and on about how I ruined their lives or what they plan on doing to me before and 'after' my life leaves my body. So I guess you can start there." The Courier suggested nonchalantly.

"You were a pain in my ass and you gave me quite a few headaches but I can't say you've ruined my life, and I definitely have no plans for you what so ever…" Amata paused as an idea came to her.

"I don't think I've ever properly introduce myself." She told him. The statement seemed to raise questions in the Courier's mind as he tried to figure out her angle.

"I am Amata Almodovar, may I ask what your name is?" she courteously asked. There was an awkward pause as the Courier looked at her incredulously before finally deciding to simply return the gesture.

"I'm…" was as far as he got before his mouth got stuck mid speech as if what he was about to say was suddenly plucked from him mind. He recomposed himself before trying again.

"My name is…" again he got stuck, with a sigh of resignation he started once more.

"I'm Courier number six. Some people call me the Courier, I allow certain people to call me Six, and you… well you seem intent on calling me an asshole." He said forcing a smirk. Try as he might to play it off, Amata could see right through it.

"An asshole to the very end." The Lone Wanderer sighed as he pulled the hammer on the Sequoia and aimed at the Courier's head.

"I guess so." He replied.

…

"Stop!" Amata shouted surprising the both of them.

"Why?" they both asked in unison.

"I have to know your name." she simply demanded.

"Well tough shit, I don't know it." The Courier retorted.

"How the hell do you not know…" the Lone Wanderer stopped as he came to the same conclusion as Amata.

"You don't remember your name or your past for that matter. Do you?" she stated.

"I remember a lot of things… up to a certain point." He said dismissively.

"Then what do you remember about your past?" Amata asked, she could see the Courier tense up as a vivid memory replayed itself in his head.

…

The Courier remembered kneeling in a shallow grave at the top of the hill overlooking Goodsprings. A full moon shone over the Mojave wasteland. He remembers the bright lights of New Vegas shining just over the horizon but soon his view of the city's lights is obstructed by a man in a black and white checkered suit with greased over hair. The man's words is nothing but background noise to him as the Courier thinks about how he gotten into this mess, and then he sees it as the checkered suit man pulls it from his inner jacket pocket. The Platinum Chip, it was that damn chip! The reason he was bloody and beaten by two thugs and was forced to kneel in his own grave was all for a stupid chip. The next thing the checkered man pulls is shiny just like the chip but deadlier. A silver chrome 9mm pistol. The last thing the Courier hears the man say would be something that would stay with him forever.

"Truth is… the game was rigged from the start…"

A gunshot causes the nearby geckos to scatter…

…

The Courier returned back to reality returning Amata's stare.

"You remembered something… didn't you." She inquired, she knew the look, the look of coming to a revelation with one self. However the Courier didn't seem to like the feeling as he shifted in his chair. Another moment of silence pass until the Courier broke eye contact and looked the Ranger Sequoia in the Lone Wanderer's hands.

"You still plan on using that?" he asked. The Lone Wanderer released the hammer and tossed it aside.

"No." he simply said.

"So what now?" Amata asked out of options. She would soon get her answer as an explosion went off in the town of Freeside. Sending up a large pillar of smoke against the backdrop of the setting sun.

"Alert! Explosion detected." A robotic voice announced as a securitron entered the room, this one had a cartoonish face on its screen.

"I can see that Yes Man." The Courier retorted mildly annoyed.

"Wait, where the hell have you been?" the Courier demanded.

"I've been monitoring the Legion's movement. They are currently heading this way." Yes Man answered.

"Oh, great. Just what I needed." The Courier moaned.

"I think you're forgetting something." Yes Man mentioned.

"And what would that be?" the Courier asked clearly stressed.

"What about your two guest?" Yes Man pointed out.

Amata and the Lone Wanderer were eying the robot with an air of caution and looked at the Courier who simply returned their gaze.

"They're not a threat if that's what you're asking." The Courier answered.

"Oh good, I'm glad to hear that as I am incapable of violent actions." Yes Man informed him.

"Yeah, remind me to get that pacifist programming replaced." The Courier.

"What was that explosion?" Amata asked.

"Analysis says that it was an improvised explosive device. Detonation site: Mick and Ralph's storefront." Yes Man answered.

"Any info on who set it off?" the Lone Wanderer asked.

"Oh sure, feel comfortable asking my robot a thousand questions." The Courier noted.

"Highest probability: Frumentarii of the Legion. Likely to weaken defenses before their main force comes." Yes Man answered.

"Well just piss in my Nuka Cola why don't cha." The Courier muttered.

"I am incapable of 'urinating' but I can spill oil-"

"It was a figure of speech!" the Courier yelled reaching the end of his rope.

"Nevertheless, what is the course of action you want to take?" Yes Man inquired.

"Well I'm going to kill every single one of those bastards obviously." The Courier answered.

"That's going to be a bit hard even for you." Amata told him.

"And why would that be?" the Courier asked.

"Cause you're still tied up." She told him nodding towards his restrains.

"Of course I am." He sighed.

"Tell you what, you tell us where the Platinum chip is and I'll cut you lose." Amata offered.

"Not this again." The Courier groaned.

"The Platinum Chip? Yes! Now would be an excellent time to activate the others." Yes Man suggested.

"Others? What 'Others'?" the Lone Wanderer asked.

"You want the Platinum Chip and don't know what it does, well isn't that just silly!" Yes Man said.

"Tell them what it is Yes Man." The Courier ordered.

"In simple terms." He added.

"Very well! The Platinum Chip is actually a hard drive reprogrammed to act as a key. A key to a whole army of Securitrons! If the army is activated in time it should be no problem wiping these legionaires off the map!" Yes Man answered.

"They want to hand it over to the NCR." The Courier added.

"That would help them in fending the legion off, right?" Amata asked.

"Oh, without a doubt. However it is what happens afterwards." Yes Man answered in a matter of fact tone.

"Tell them what is most likely to happen if the NCR gets there hands on it, again in simple terms." The Courier ordered.

"Once the NCR gains possession of the Platinum chip and thus the army of Securitrons. They will most likely augment them into their main forces. Coupled with their need for expansion they will bring the entire Mojave under their flag in a matter of weeks. Once finish here they will begin to expand East within the next 5-10 years. Less if they manage to reverse engineer the technology used to create Securitrons." Yes Man explained.

"Hey I just remembered. You two are came from the East, didn't you?" the Courier sarcastically asked.

The Lone Wanderer and Amata exchanged glances before looking back at the Courier.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Amata asked.

"Well first, cut me loose, and then go do whatever the hell you want." He told her.

"And you'll let us off the hook just like that." The Lone Wanderer noted.

"I think I have bigger problems then you two." The Courier answered.

Another explosion went off in the distance.

"Detonation detected. Detonation site: Cerulean Robotics." Yes Man announced.

"See what I mean?" the Courier pointed out, it was enough for Amata as she went over and untied him.

The Courier stood up from his chair and stretched, he walked over to his Ranger Sequoia that was laying on the floor and picked it up. He looked at Amata and the Lone Wanderer and holstered it.

"I trust you two can at least see to yourselves." He told them as he headed towards the elevator. He pressed the elevator and with a 'bing' the door opened for him.

Another explosion went off, this time a bit closer as it managed to knock some of the dust off the ceiling.

The Lone Wanderer and Amata came running up behind him.

"What now?" the Courier demanded.

"There was another explosion." The Lone Wanderer told him.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out." The Courier retorted.

"At the Atomic Wrangler." Amata told him.

AN: Thanks for reading! (I think this is the longest chapter so far!) I hope you enjoyed it.


	22. An Unease Truce

**AN: Another Chapter! It's almost too good to be real. (yeah I can hardly believe it myself!)**

The ride down to the casino floor of the Lucky 38 was filled with awkward silence, with only the hum of gears turning filling the void. Amata felt she should say something to break the tension but the Lone Wanderer beat her to it.

"Well this is awkward." The Lone Wanderer said voicing his thoughts out loud.

"Tell me about it." The Courier muttered. Amata noticed out the corner of her eye that he seemed slightly anxious as he tapped his foot on the elevator floor.

"So on a scale of one to ten, how bad do you think this is?" she asked.

"Are you talking about the Wrangler? Or the situation as a whole?" the Courier retorted, but before Amata could answer the elevator dinged announcing that they had arrived at the ground floor. The elevator doors couldn't have opened faster for the Courier as he pushed himself through the barely open doors.

' _I hope Veronica is okay.'_ Amata thought as they crossed the lobby heading to the double doors that lead outside.

The Courier pushed the door open and wasn't surprised at the sight that greeted him. People were pouring out of the casinos to see what was going on as thick black smoke dared to blanket the red and orange sky, but the sight that got his attention was the squad of NCR soldiers with service rifles aimed at the Lucky 38 with Ambassador Crocker standing behind them. Amata and the Lone Wanderer were stepping outside when they locked eyes with the Ambassador.

"Something tells me these soldiers aren't here to help." The Lone Wanderer muttered to Amata.

"Courier, it's good to see that you are well. I was afraid that these fugitives might have sought harm towards you." The Ambassador greeted.

'Fugitives! That son of a backstabbing-" Amata fumed.

"Fugitives? Well I guess that would explain a lot of things. For a moment I thought they were working for the NCR, a shame really. I could use there assistance in retrieving the Platinum chip." The Courier noted.

"Y-you don't have it?" the Ambassador stammered.

"Of course not, what if some assassins got me? I wouldn't keep it on me or nearby for that matter. In fact I was just about to go retrieve it when this 'problematic' situation developed. Now if you'll excuse me-" He stated as he headed towards the gates.

"Hold on for just a minute, if these two can help you then they are at your disposure. I'll just need a minute with them so they can weigh their options." Crocker offered. He approached Amata and the Lone Wanderer and spoke in a hushed tone, obviously not wanting the Courier to hear what he had to say.

"Nothing's changed, you get the chip, you end him, you get your freedom." He stated plainly.

"Sure we don't get a firing squad instead?" the Lone Wanderer asked mockingly.

"It was just a precaution in case you two couldn't do it." The Ambassador shot back.

Amata scrunched her nose as if she smelled something foul. "Something smells like Brahmin shit." She remarked.

Ambassador Crocker straightened his tie and ignored the accusation as he gave the simple order.

"Get it done."

As he turned his back on the two the sound of gunfire erupted from the other side of the gate causing him to fall prone and put the crowd of people in a state of uproar.

"What's going on?" Amata asked as she watched the Courier approach the gate.

"Damn idiots must've tried rushing the gate and the guarding Securitrons put them down. Now they've triggered safety failsafe." The Courier cursed.

"What's that?" the Lone Wanderer inquired.

"They just caused the gates to lock temporarily." The Courier answered as he put a cig in his mouth and lit it.

"How long will it stay lock?" Ambassador Crocker said as he got up and dusted himself off in a vain attempt to look dignified.

"Maybe a minute, maybe more. Depends if there's more dumbasses on the other side wishing to rush the gate again." the Courier answered mildly annoyed.

The sound of gunfire started again, this time it seemed to last a bit longer.

"Why would they rush the gate again? Can't they see how pointless it is." The Ambassador noted.

"It's because they're desperate. Desperate people do desperate things." The Lone Wanderer remarked.

"Funny, I think its stupid people doing stupid things." The Courier countered as he blew out a huff of smoke.

"Won't the Securitrons will run out of bullets?" Amata asked.

"Oh believe me, they'll run out of bodies before these bots run out of ammunition. Hell they haven't even used their grenade launchers yet." The Courier pointed out.

"So we're safe inside the gates?" Crocker asked.

"Nope, far from it to be exact. Well more importantly **'you'** to be exact. If I was a Legion Frumentarius this would be a perfect time to assassinate a high ranking NCR official." The Courier answered.

Amata saw the color drain from the Ambassador's face as he realized what the Courier was hinting at, he quickly barked orders to his soldiers to head back to the embassy no doubt to barricade himself inside till everything blew over.

The Courier finished off the remainder of his cigarette and plucked the butte away as Amata and the Lone Wanderer joined him.

"I guess we should think you for sticking up for us." The Lone Wanderer told him.

"Thanks? For what? I simply told him what we are going to do." The Courier remarked as he checked his Sequoia.

As the three stood there waiting for the gates to unlock Amata wondered what they were about to get themselves into along with their relationship towards the Courier.

"So… what is this, exactly?" she finally decided to ask.

"An uneasy partnership?" the Lone Wanderer guessed.

"Well it sure as hell isn't the start of a beautiful friendship." The Courier answered.

"Then what do you think this is?" she asked.

"It's a truce, temporarily at best. We'll handle this **'matter'** with the Legion first." The Courier stated.

"Afterward?" the Lone Wanderer inquired.

"Afterward? What makes you think you two will survive this?" the Courier answered a bit amused.

"We've survived worse." The Lone Wanderer countered.

"Your 'worse' is _**nothing**_ when you face the Legion." The Courier told them.

"I wish they gave us our guns back. I'd feel a bit better going into this with some way to defend myself." Amata mumbled.

The Courier let out an audible sigh as he reached into his back pocket and pulled a silver 9mm pistol, he paused as if he was weighing his options before tossing Amata the pistol.

"Don't read too much into this. Chances are we're dealing with Frumentarii so they'll blend into the panic, if any get the drop on me I expect you to shoot them not me." The Courier explained.

"Understood." Amata answered as she check the chamber.

"What? I don't get one?" the Lone Wanderer jokingly asked.

"Sure let me just pull another one out my ass!" the Courier quickly snapped back.

 _Buzzzzzzz_

The locking mechanisms on the gates unlocked and the gears controlling the gate began to turn. The gates loudly creaked open revealing the sight of a massacre before them, bloodied bodies piled over each other in a vain attempt to get into the safety of New Vegas.

"Think any of them were Frumentarii?" the Lone Wanderer solemnly asked.

"Nope just stupid people doing something stupid." The Courier sighed as he stepped over the bodies.

"You can't tell me you don't feel anything for these people?!" Amata asked feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"How I feel no longer matters to them, so why feel anything at all?" he retorted heading in the direction of the Wrangler.

Amata did her best not to look at the faces of the deceased as she stepped over them to follow the Courier. The Lone Wanderer took a few glances to see if anyone he had knew was among them, having found no one he quickly caught up with Amata.

"How can someone be that cold." She asked him.

"Only someone who've seen a lot of death can move pass it, If the Legion is capable of committing atrocities worse than this, then maybe this is his way to move forward." The Lone Wanderer suggested.

Once they reached the Atomic Wrangler they could see that the explosion took only the lower front of the building out but without support the front half of the second floor had collapse and now a group of Kings were working to dig any possible survivors out.

"Who's in charge here?" the Courier demanded.

"Well that me obviously." A voice came from behind them, it was a voice Amata knew well even with the short time she had heard it. It was The King leader of the Kings in Freeside only instead of looking charming he was covered and dirt and scratches with a small trail of blood trickling down the left side of his head.

"So nice of you to join the rescue effort." He remarked trying to muster up some of his charm but to no avail.

"Where's Cassidy and Veronica?" the Courier inquired.

"My men are working to clear out the ruble as quickly as possible." The King answered.

"I don't want excuses! I want them!" the Courier snapped.

The group of workers pushed a large chunk of rubble aside revealing two individual underneath.

"We found two!" one of them yelled out.

The Courier quickly darted over to see who they've found, one of them was Cass, she was alive but blood was flowing down the side of her face matting her red hair to her cheeks and her right leg was pinned by some rubble. The woman in power armor next to her wasn't moving, she looked to have fared better at first glance but upon a closer look the Courier could see that a sharp rebar sticking through the right side of her power armor.

"Veronica." Was all he could say as he knelt closer.

"She… protected me." Cass told him as he reached out to touch Veronica's face.

"Come on V, you're tougher than this! You got to wake up!" the Courier said.

"Rose!" the Lone Wanderer shouted as he ran over, he lifted the rubble that was pinning her leg and heft it to the side.

"Come on Veronica, just open your eyes. You can do it." The Courier encouraged.

' _Please be alive.'_ Amata prayed.

Veronica's eyes began to stir as they slowly began to open, she looked at the Courier through tired eyes.

"I hate it. When you have that face on. You always look like that when someone you know is about to die." She coughed, a small stream of blood began pouring from her mouth.

"Internal bleeding, she's going to need a doctor immediately." The Lone Wanderer advised.

"Of course she needs a doctor you jackass!" the Courier hissed at him before turning to Cass.

"Did Arcade ever come back from the Fort?" he asked.

"No, I think he's still over there." She answered trying to remember.

The Courier let out an annoyed sigh as he stood up. Cass could see a small twitch under his eye which usually meant he was nearing the end of his restraint.

"Don't hurt him too badly." She reminded him.

"I'll make sure he can still use both of his arms, that's all he'll need." The Courier retorted.

"We'll come with you." Amata offered.

"No, you two stay here and guard them, I'll move faster on my own." He ordered. The Courier didn't give her a chance to argue as he quickly headed for the gates that lead to Northern Freeside.

"Always the loner." Veronica remarked.

"You should conserve your energy as much as possible." The Lone Wanderer told her.

"Speaking of energy." Cass said as she handed him a set of keys. "Get over to the Silver Rush and arm yourself. No point in guarding us if you can barely defend yourself." She told him. The Lone Wanderer looked at Amata as if seeking permission.

"Go, I'll stay here with them. Just bring me back something nice." She told him.

"I'll be back soon." He told them as he left.

"No hurry, we're not going anywhere." Cass called out after him.

 **AN: Sorry for the long wait, had so much on my plate recently and the next thing I know a whole month has passed! (I'm starting to think '** _ **soon**_ **' does not mean what I think it means. Lol)**


	23. Extreme Measures

**AN: Welcome back to another chapter of Fallout: Unforgotten.**

The world became a little darker to the Courier as he made his way to the Old Mormon Fort. Whether it was due to the sun setting or the smoke from the still burning buildings blocking out what little sunlight the people of Freeside had left didn't matter to him. What did matter was getting Veronica and Cass medical help and he was going to get it by any means. As he neared the fort he wasn't surprise at the mob of people crowding around the large wooden gates all seeking medical attention for themselves or for someone they knew, however he was mildly annoyed. As he entered the crowd he could hear mumbled complaints as well as a few curses being thrown about.

"Open up! There's wounded out here!" he could hear someone shout.

"You have to help me! My friend was caught in the blast, we're afraid to move him!" Another could be heard. Of course it didn't take long for emotions to run high and desperation quickly turned to anger.

"Hey I know you can hear us! Open up." A woman shouted.

"You can't just let us die out here!" someone else yelled.

"I bet they're the ones behind the attack!" another accused. The crowd began to get restless as people began shoving against one another which only served to rile them up further.

"Open the goddamn gates or we're burning the damn fort!" someone threatened.

The Courier had heard enough and made his way to the front, pushing and shoving anyone aside unapologetically. Soon he was at the front of the crowd and turned to face them. He could see the anger and desperation in the crowds eyes it wouldn't belong till someone followed through on their threat.

"WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" He yelled, but instead of silencing the crowd it just made them turn their anger and frustrations towards him.

"Hey fuck you!" someone in the crowd yelled.

"Yeah! Who died and made you king!" another agreed.

The Courier calmly drew his Sequoia and fired a round into the air causing the crowd to reel back from him.

"Now that I got your attention I have only one thing to say. Leave." The Courier told the crowd. A man stepped from the crowd to challenge the Courier's authority.

"You can't be serious! There are people dying!" he told the Courier.

"People die every day. Leave." Was the Courier's simple rebuttal, which only serve to anger the crowd.

"And what are you going to do if we don't? Not even you can-" the man was interrupted as a .45gov't round pierced his cranium blowing grey matter back onto the crowd, as the mob backed away from the man's body the Courier pulled the hammer back on his sequoia readying another round.

"The Follower's aren't going to come out if there's an angry mob outside their fort. Now I'm sure everyone is having a bad day but I assure it's not as bad as his." The Courier said pointing his revolver at the dead man. The mob glared at him weighing their options and begrudgingly complied with the Courier's command. He was sure he had made more than a few enemies at that moment but he figured he'd deal with the repercussions later. When the crowd disperse leaving the Courier alone in front of the Mormon fort he banged on the wooden gate with the handle of his revolver. After a moment of silence he could hear a voice answer from the other side.

"Are they all gone?"

"Yeah, now let me in." The Courier demanded. He could hear the bar being lifted from its holders as the followers undid the latch. The gate creaked open slightly enough for the Courier to enter. the voice on the other side of the gate finally had a face. It was the branch leader of the Followers Julie.

"Looks like you came at the right time. Though I can't say I approve of your methods." She told him.

"That makes you the 4th person to tell me that." The Courier retorted as he looked around wondering where he could find Arcade.

"What are you doing here? You don't look hurt." Julie noted.

"I'm looking for Gannon, where is he." The Courier demanded.

"Uh, he's with a patient at the moment. We've been up to our necks in patients and that was before the explosions. Speaking of which, what is going on out there?" she inquired.

"Legion spies infiltrated and set off several bombs, one of which has severely injured two people I know. Which tent?" he asked flipping the questionnaire around.

"He's over there." She pointed at one of the tents near the rear wall. "But like I said he's with a p-" was all the he heard as he walked towards the tent at a brisk pace, he brushed aside the tent flap revealing Arcade bandaging a patient's arm.

"I'm a bit busy at the moment, I'll be right with you." Arcade said not even turning to see who had walked in.

"Want to run that by me again?" the Courier growled.

Arcade immediately recognized the voice and turned to greet the Courier.

"I- I didn't know it was you!" he stuttered but the Courier simple shook his head.

"Sure you didn't, now grab your doctor bag and a few other medical supplies, you're needed elsewhere." He told Arcade.

"I- I can't leave. These people… they need my help. Please try to see it from my point of-" the Courier cut him off with a right jab to the mouth.

"The only point of view I care about is mine, and right now I don't see you grabbing anything." He told him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Julies yelled as she went over to check on Arcade.

The Courier ignored her question and repeated his demand. "Grab whatever you need, we're leaving."

"No." Arcade defiantly said.

The Courier was a bit taken back by Arcade's sudden defiance, normally a punch is all it would take to get Gannon to comply. This sudden rebellion would need to be crushed quickly he figured.

"200th time someone has said 'No' to me and a first for you, so let me tell you what you've won." The Courier announced as he cocked his revolver and fired a round into Arcade's patient bandaged arm. Julies quickly got to work on trying to stop the bleeding as the man cried out in pain.

"Was that even necessary!?" Arcade yelled as he moved to help.

"You're right I should've shot him in the other arm, I mean you _just_ got done bandaging it." The Courier sarcastically stated. He could hear the guards coming to see if everyone was okay which meant he would have to get a move on. He quickly grabbed Julie's arm and pulled her close to him and pressed his Ranger Sequoia against her temple just as the guards entered with their rifles ready.

"The hell are you doing?" Arcade screamed.

"I know what you're not doing!" The Courier retorted as he position Julie between him and the guards.

"This doesn't solve anything!" Julies cried as she struggled to free herself.

"Well the obvious solution is to give me what I want. Otherwise this situation is about get a lot worse." The Courier told her.

"Fine, Gannon for the love of god go with him!" she ordered.

"And the med supplies?" the Courier inquired.

"Take whatever you need. Just let me go." She pleaded.

"Well Arcade are you coming or not? If so would you mind hurrying? My trigger finger is getting _really_ itchy." He warned.

With a sigh of resignation Arcade gathered the things he needed. The Courier kept Julies close as they headed for the exit, the guards opened the gate slightly enough for Arcade and the Courier to slip through.

"Well Julie, it's been fun. We should really do this again sometime." The Courier joked as he shoved her towards the guards.

The gates quickly slammed shut closing him off from her but he was sure she had flipped him off.

"Well who's in such desperate need of help that you would go through such extremes to get me." Arcade sighed.

"Veronica and Cass." He told Arcade as they started heading back.

"Why didn't you just tell me?! This could all had been avoided." Arcade exclaimed.

"I could've but then you wouldn't have learned a very valuable lesson." The Courier causally answered.

"Lesson? What lesson!?" Arcade yelled reaching the end of his rope.

"Don't say no to the Courier." The Courier told him.

 **AN: Another chapter down! Thanks for reading! I had to make some changes to the story to get all the puzzles into place (Don't worry it wasn't anything major.)**


	24. Freeside on Fire

AN: Chapter 24 of Fallout: Unforgotten.

As the Lone Wanderer neared the Silver Rush he began going over a mental checklist.

' _Grab a few pistols and rifles, nothing too heavy. In and out, be quick about it.'_ He thought at least until he was close enough to see that the door was opened slightly.

" _Sigh_ , In and out. Yeah right." He chided himself.

' _Why can't somethings be easy for once?'_ he thought as he slowly opened the door to peer inside. The store was dimly lit but he could make out a couple of figures moving about, looters taking advantage of the chaos he reasoned.

"Hurry up! Grab whatever looks expensive, we'll be the ones coming out on top once this blows over." He could hear one of them giving orders no doubt the ringleader of the group. The Lone Wanderer stuck to the shadows as he snuck inside careful not to draw attention to himself.

"Hey can't we just make a second trip? It's not like these weapons are going anywhere." One looter noted.

"We aren't taking any chances that the owner might come back while we're away, so we're grabbing anything of value and set fire to the place afterward." The Leader retorted.

' _Well you can't let that happen can you.'_ The Lone Wanderer's mind mused. He moved to the closest display table and grabbed a laser pistol. While remaining as quiet as possible he moved into position and flipped the safety off.

"Alright, times up! If you're not out of here when the place goes up then you're not coming out at all." The Leader warned.

"May I suggest a slight change in plans?" The Lone Wanderer said making his presence known, he had snuck up behind one of the looters and took him hostage, holding the laser pistol to his head.

"Just drop the loot and leave, it's a lot less messier than the alternative." He told them, but the looters didn't take kindly to his advice and nearly every type energy weapon was pointed at him and his hostage.

"Ah hell, who was supposed to keep a lookout?" the ringleader shouted.

"Figuring out who screwed up can wait, right now I'm going to need you to drop the loot and leave." The Lone Wanderer advised.

"Oh, I already know who screwed up." The ringleader smirked as he took aim with his laser rifle.

"Wait! Boss don't shoot-" the hostage shouted before being turned into a pile of dust in front of the Lone Wanderer.

"Looks like it was you who screwed up." The ringleader gloated.

The Lone Wanderer looked at the dust that piled on top of his boots and back at the thieves leader.

"Hard way it is then." He sighed before diving into cover. The group open fired sending plasma and lasers at his cover.

' _I'm in an armory of energy weapons and I grab a laser pistol of all things to take on seven attackers wielding laser and plasma energy weapons. Sigh, It's going to be one of those days.'_ He chastise himself. With a deep breath he readied himself and sprang from his cover. Time slowed to a crawl as he entered V.A.T.S a light show of red and green flew by him leaving streaks in the air around him. He choose his targets and pulled the trigger verifying his decision. The laser pistol unleashed a torrent of shots at the leader, the Lone Wanderer could see the beams of light ignite his body making him burn a bright orange before disintegrating into a pile of ash. He exited V.A.T.S in time to duck back into cover.

"What the hell just happened to the boss?" the Lone Wanderer could hear one of the looters yells. His Pip-boy quickly notified him that V.A.T.S was ready again. He popped up from cover once more and enter V.A.T.S this time targeting the weapons in the looter's hands and with fast reflexes he shot the energy weapons out of their hands. The group was stunned and dumbfounded and the Lone Wanderer decided to take advantage of the situation and grabbed a nearby laser gatling gun off its holding. He quickly spun it to life getting their attention.

"If I could do that with just a laser pistol, just imagine what I can do with this." He said with a smirk.

"Woah, wait! Hold on a minute!" one of the looters shouted.

"You really want those to be your last words?" the Lone Wanderer sarcastically asked.

"We'll take you up on that offer… if it's still on the table." The looter stammered. The Lone Wanderer paused as if giving it some thought and let go of the trigger letting the gatling gun die down he nodded his head towards the exit telling them to get out and they quickly obliged. Once sure he was alone he let the weapon drop from his hands, with no electron charge pack the gun was empty. He let out a sigh and about to grab a few rifles when he noticed a shiny round object sticking partially out of one off the ash pile that was the gang leader. He knelt down a picked it up giving it a closer observation one side had three men standing side by side with the words he couldn't decipher but once he turned it over he understood the two words surrounding the profile of a man.

"Caesar, Dictator." He read out loud to himself. He pocketed the coin and grabbed a laser rifle for Amata and took a plasma rifle for himself along with a few plasma grenades. After loading up on as many microfusion cells he could carry he was about to head out when a thought occurred to him. He grabbed a plasma mine and armed it, he left it near the door and carefully closed it behind him making sure it was lock. Satisfied that the Silver Rush wouldn't be having anymore unwanted visitors he quickly made his way back to Amata.

Arcade and the Courier was nearing the gate that led to gate back to inner Freeside when another explosion erupted near the gates causing debris to fall and block there way. The Courier let out a slew of curse words in frustration but it was only the beginning of a bad situation as Arcade tapped him on his shoulder and pointed out the angry mob that was starting to form.

"I _**'really'**_ don't have time for this." The Courier said through gritted teeth.

"I don't suppose you have a way out of this?" Arcade asked a bit concerned for their well being.

"Just stick close." The Courier ordered as he began to advance toward the crowd.

One of the angry mobsters stepped towards the front determined to block their path.

"Everyone knows the Legion is coming for you, this mess we're in is because of you!" he yelled, a rallying cheer erupted from the crowd in support.

"I don't think they like you." Arcade said pointing out the obvious.

"Yeah, feelings mutual." The Courier muttered as he placed his hand on his ranger sequoia.

"They're just terrified, firing off a couple rounds into the air isn't going to make this situation any better." Arcade advised.

"Who said anything about firing rounds into the air?" the Courier retorted as he pulled his revolver and knee capped the nearest rioter. The rioters paused in sudden disbelief and soon that disbelief turned to anger fed by hatred, they began advancing on the Courier.

"It would just be wasteful." He added as he took aim at the next person. He fired and the round caught his victim in the thigh making him fall to the ground. The rioters began grabbing whatever they can to defend themselves and started throwing rocks. One person got in a lucky hit with a rock causing a gash over his right eye, he promptly rewarded the lucky individual with a .45 gov't round to the chest.

"You know you don't have enough ammo for all of them." Arcade told him, the Courier was about to admit he was right when the sound of a service rifle being fired brought a sudden halt to the chaos.

A loud and authoritative voice boomed over the crowd.

"Major Elizabeth Kieran of the New California Republic, I'm ordering any and all non-combatants to stay off the streets until this situation is resolved. Failure to do so will result in swift judgement followed by an equally swift execution." She ordered. There was a hesitation in the crowd and the Major gave the order to fire another round into the air.

"Don't make me repeat myself." She told them.

The crowded grabbed their wounded and disperse leaving Arcade and the Courier alone with the Major.

"Why the hell am I not surprise you're at the center of this mess?" The Major sighed.

"Thanks for the save Major but I had it under control." The Courier answered.

"Not from where I was standing, now tell me what the hell is going on. I'm hearing talk of Frumentarii in the town, maybe you care to clarify?" the Major demanded.

"I would but right now I need to get four-eyes over to the Atomic Wrangler and as you can see the way is blocked." The Courier pointed out.

"Then you'll have plenty of time to explain while we escort you to the back entrance." The Major told him. The Courier was about to protest when the Major cut him off.

"And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." She told him.

The Courier let out a sigh of resignation. "Lead the way then." He said bowing mockingly.

AN: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next time.


	25. A Friend in Need

Chapter 25

The Courier looked at the devastation around him, damage to most buildings looked to have been inflicted by the citizens of Freeside in the chaos than from the actual bombings by the Legion.

' _Just goes to show that man's greatest enemy is himself.'_ He mused to himself.

"Hey, don't avoid the question." Major Keiran demanded snapping the Courier back into focus.

"What were we talking about again?" the Courier asked already knowing the answer.

"Sigh, you're a real pain to deal with. I want confirmation as to whether this was a Legion attack or not?" she reiterated. The squad of soldiers were passing an old water tower as the Courier answered with a solid 'Maybe.'

"Squad, Holt!" the Major barked bringing the squad to a standstill.

"What the hell do you mean 'Maybe'?" she demanded.

"As in we're not up to our necks in Legionnaires yet 'Maybe' as in this wasn't so much as an _'Attack'_ but more of a _'signal'._ "He clarified.

The Major pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Now you're just talking in circles." She sighed.

"Don't you think the timing and the placement of explosives were strange?" The Courier asked.

"Of course I think it's strange, but for all we know they could've just picked any target at random." The Major countered.

"The Legion doesn't pick targets at random, they're very critical in attention to detail. So to figure out what they're up to, you simply have to look at the details." The Courier led on as he pull the last cigarette out of its pack and placed it between his lips.

"Three explosive go off one after another during the afternoon. Targets were the Mick N' Ralphs near the south gate, The Atomic Wrangler, and an old robotics factory. Not exactly the targets I would pick but it did cause a mess." Kieran reasoned.

"It did create panic which distracted us from their true objective." The Courier led on.

"The only other purpose I can think of is to signal the Legion's army." Arcade guessed.

"Bingo." The Courier huffed blowing out a puff of smoke.

"Then why aren't they here?" Kieran asked.

"Oh I'm sure they're well on their way here, moving under the cover of night. If I were them I'd attack the Fort McCarren." The Courier mused.

"That would be pointless, they'd never get pass the gates." Kieran quickly shot down the notion.

"I wouldn't want to get in, just keep the soldiers inside there from coming out." He clarified.

"Which would leave the nearby farmers and the city of New Vegas nearly defenseless." Arcade concluded.

"From there I'd pay the Gun runners and the Crimson caravan a visit giving me all the supplies I need to fight off any reinforcement that may come from Hoover Dam." The Courier said taking in another drag from the cigarette.

"Well that's discouraging, anything we can do about it?" Kieran asked.

"There's not much we can do, other than to beat them to the punch first." The Courier answered.

"Well that settles it. I'll get work on building up our defenses." Kieran said as she started barking out orders before turning back to the Courier.

"I'm sure you can make the rest of the way back on your own." She told him as she left the two.

Back at the ruins of the Atomic Wrangler the Lone Wanderer was checking on Amata and the others.

"He should've been back by now, what's keeping him?" Cass wondered.

"He'll be back any minute, I'm sure of it." Amata comforted.

"Or he could be dead." The King chimed in. Amata gave him a cold stare.

"Or he could've just been delayed." He quickly recanted.

"Well whatever the reason he better get here soon. Veronica isn't going to last like this." The Lone Wanderer pointed out. He was right, the color was starting to drain from Veronica's face as beads of sweat started to build on her forehead.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Amata asked frustrated.

"Well you can let the doctor take a look at her." The Courier answered announcing his arrival.

"What the hell took you so long?" Cass yelled.

"The occasional angry mob, oh and some idiot blocked the gateway with a building." He informed her.

"Can we please get back to the woman who's impaled on a piece of rebar?" Amata told them.

"Oh my! Well this is going to be problematic." Arcade said to himself as he mulled over Veronica's condition.

"I didn't ask for the obvious Arcade I want her patched up. Now tell me is it possible or not?" The Courier demanded.

"I was talking about the power armor she is currently encased in. The problem is that we can't move her at least without causing her a great amount of pain and needless to say killing her." Arcade explained.

"So she's screwed, it that it doc?" Cass spat.

"Not exactly, It is possible but we'll going to need to move fast." Arcade said as he set his doctor bag down beside Veronica.

"What do we need to do?" The Lone Wanderer said.

"You and one other will need to pull her off that thing." Arcade told him as he started searching for the meds he needed.

"I'm getting a feeling that there's a catch." The Lone Wanderer sighed.

"Smart guy, the catch is she'll be on a cocktail of Med-X and Psycho." Arcade retorted as he began mixing the concoction.

"She'll be a rampaging bighorn! In power armor no less!" Cass pointed out.

"And you will need to make sure she doesn't do any more damage to herself." Arcade added.

"Damage herself? She's going to rip us a new one and then rip that new one another one." The Lone Wanderer pointed out.

"Well that's the risk we'll have to take." Arcade rebutted as he loaded the mixture into a syringe.

"This is going to suck." The Courier sighed grabbing Veronica's right arm.

"The things we do for friends." The Lone Wanderer sighed as he grabbed her left arm.

"Try to keep her focus." Arcade told Cass.

"I'll do what I can." She said trying to sound reassuring.

"W-What's going on?" Veronica said half conscious.

"Just know we're the ones trying to help you." The Courier pointed out as he signal Arcade to give her the needle.

Arcade quickly injected the needle into her neck and waited. A few seconds of intense silence ticked by before the Courier eyed Arcade suspiciously.

"Shouldn't she be a raging bull by n-" He didn't get to finish her sentence as Veronica's eyes popped open filled with rage.

"Pull, Now!" Arcade ordered. Both the Courier and the Lone Wanderer pulled with all their might but progress was slow.

"She should be off by now why isn't… oh my." Arcade could see what the problem was. The bit of concrete that was still attached to the rebar was also being lifted with Veronica.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" She bellowed.

"Helping…you." The Courier grunted still pulling.

Veronica felt a tiny bit of movement in her abdomen and looked at the piece of rebar sticking out of her.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING! GET IT OUT OF ME!" she yelled.

"We're working on that." The Lone Wanderer mumbled as he pulled.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" she said flinging him off sending him 3 feet back easily.

"Ok, that's scary." Amata noted.

"I'LL DO IT MY DAMN SELF!" Veronica yelled as she reached back with her now free hand and with a roar she pulled the rebar out of her torso.

"And that's terrifying." Amata added as she watched Veronica get to her feet. Veronica looked at the Courier with rage filled eyes. He had already let go of her but she hadn't let go of him.

"I believe this is the part where she rips you a new one." Arcade noted.

"Arcade!" the Courier yelled as he felt her grip tighted.

"Alright, Alright." Arcade relented as he pulled out a second syringe. Veronica felt a tiny prick in the back of her neck. The Courier could see the rage in her eyes subsiding and replacing it with a tired look and soon fell face down on the ground.

"What the hell did you give her now?" Cass asked a bit bewildered.

"A mixture of Fixer and Steady topped off with Addictol, but more importantly we need to get her out of this armor and somewhere where I can work on her." Arcade explained.

"I'm sure the King and his men will be happy to lend their services." The Courier said eyeing the King menacingly. The King got the gist of what the Courier meant and signaled his men to move to help. After removing her from her armor the Kings carefully carried her to the Kings School of Impersonations. Amata moved to go after her but the Courier stopped her.

"Let Cass look after her. We have more important things to do." He told her.

"It doesn't feel right just leaving them." She argued.

"They're depending on us to come through, we can't get side tracked now." The Lone Wanderer said handing her a laser rifle.

As much as she hated leaving she knew they were right and with a heavy heart she left unknowing if she'll ever see them again.

 **AN: Sorry for the long wait, I'll try to get these chapters out in a timelier manner.**


	26. The Siege

**Chapter 26: The Siege**

The Lone Wanderer glanced at his Pip-boy taking in the time. It would be another hour before the sun would grace the Mojave with its presence. As the trio made their way towards Freeside's East gate the sounds of a gunfight started to grow louder.

"Sounds like trouble up ahead." Amata pointed out.

"Well it sure as hell isn't a good time." The Courier retorted as he was about to round a corner. A bullet impacted the wall next to him causing him to instinctively duck back. He looked over at Amata and the Lone Wanderer.

"I hope you know how to use that thing." The Courier warned eyeing Amata's newly acquired Laser rifle.

"Of course I know how, the better question is who's shooting at us?" she asked slightly irked.

"It's the Legion, and it was more of a stray shot then actual aim. But that's beside the point." He answered.

"I thought you said we had time before the siege set in." The Lone Wanderer pointed out.

"And we do, right now the NCR is engaged with a scouting group, though it's a bit bigger than normal." He mused to himself.

"What is a scouting group doing engaging the NCR?" The Lone Wanderer asked.

"Making sure we don't leave." The Courier answered irritated.

Amata glanced around the corner and her heart nearly sank as thirty or more Legion soldiers engaged a small 5-man NCR squad who had taking up cover behind a broken wall. It was clearly obvious the battle was one-sided.

"How the hell are we're supposed to get past that!" she fumed turning to the Courier.

"Well through the quickest of means." He said readying his Ranger Sequoia and with that he charged out from their cover.

"He's insane!" Amata exclaimed as she watched him gunned down four Legionnaires before diving into cover near the NCR soldiers.

"Everyone in this wasteland is to some degree." The Lone Wanderer said as he followed the Courier's lead. He popped from the corner firing on the Legion soldiers catching them off guard. Five more fell as he took up a position across from the Courier thus forcing the Legion to split their suppression fire.

' _I wonder if that includes me?'_ she wondered. She quickly shook the notion from her head as she aimed around the corner she picked her target and pulled the trigger… but nothing happened.

' _Oh come on!'_ She mentally bemoaned as she quickly ducked back looking over her Laser rifle. She checked the Microfusion cell holding chamber and tested the trigger again, still nothing.

"You gave me a broken Laser rifle!" she yelled at the Lone Wanderer.

The Lone Wanderer's cover took a few hits before he returned fire. "It's not broken, I checked it myself." He yelled back over the gunfire.

"Well it's not working _NOW_!" she snapped at him.

"Did you check the MF holding chamber?" The Lone Wanderer asked as he dropped two more Legion recruits.

"Of course I did!" she answered a bit on edge.

"How about the energy capacitor regulator?" he asked as more gunfire hit his cover.

"The _WHAT!?_ " She yelled over the gunfire.

"The damn safety!" the Courier yelled. As he shot two legionnaires trying to brake from cover.

"Where's that?" she asked, quickly giving the rifle a look over.

"It's the tiny switch near the back of the rifle." The Lone Wanderer answered as he reloaded his rifle.

Amata quickly located the switch and noticed it was in the 'Off' position, she flicked it into the 'On' position and pulled the trigger. A flash of red impacted the ground next to her startling her.

"I got it." She informed him.

"If I remember correctly you said you knew how to use one of those." The Courier taunted as he flicked open his sequoia's wheel and emptied the chambers before loading new rounds.

"Shut up! It's been a while!" she angrily retorted as she aimed and squeezed off several rounds gunning down 6 would be flankers.

"As nice as it is hearing you three banter do you think you can focus on the fight?" a familiar voice asked the Courier, he looked at one of the NCR soldier's face and noticed it was Major Kieran.

"Well isn't this a coincidence." The Courier mused.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it a fortunate one." She muttered.

"Care to tell me what the hell happened?" the Courier asked as he fired from his cover. He could hear one of the Legion's recruits scream in pain as a result telling him he hit something vital.

' _Music to my ears.'_ He thought.

"Shortly after our talk I sent soldiers out the South gate to warn the Crimson Caravan of the Legion threat and to try to convince the Gun runners it's in their best interest to move into Freeside. It went well, for a while. Both the Crimson Caravan and the Gun runners were on their way to the South gate when the Legion sprang their trap, there was too many of them so we had to shut the gates before anyone could get in." she informed the Courier.

"So why are there Legion at the East gate?" he asked checking to see if he had anymore cigarettes.

"East gate is their fallback point if they weren't able to make it to the South gate in time. Looks like the Legion sent some to this gate too as a precaution." She answered handing him a cigarette to which he quickly accepted and lit it.

"Well we need to get through these gates and I'm in a bit of a hurry." He told her as he exhaled a bit of smoke.

"Oh sure let me just asked them to let you pass." She sarcastically offered.

Amata noticed one of the Legionnaires was wearing a large feathered helmet holding what looked like a large mechanical lance. He was quickly directing the fighters to focus on the Courier's position.

' _Heavily armored + Big extravagant helmet = In charge'_ Amata reasoned as she went into V.A.T.S taking aim. She made him her sole target and fired three rounds. As the rounds travel through the air she written him off as another tally on her kill count but to her surprise he pulled a lowly recruit in front of him to use as a shield. The third round had incinerated the unlucky recruit in the Legionnaire's hands but before the recruit's spear could fall to the ground the legionnaire grabbed it and launched it at Amata. She barely duck back behind the wall in time as the spear impaled the ground where she once was. She had barely let out a sigh of relief when the Courier yelled for her to get down. Amata ducked just as part the wall she was hiding behind exploded into outward. When the dust cleared she look wide eyed at the mechanical lance that was next to her.

"You alright?" the Lone Wanderer asked returning fire sending the Legionnaire into cover.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright." She answered a bit shaken.

"Ah hell, looks like we have a Centurion on our hands." The Courier sighed.

"Explains why they're so organized." Kieran muttered.

The group had managed to whittle down the Legions numbers enough to make their move.

"Move In!" Kieran ordered.

The 5-man squad broke cover and began moving in on the Legion's position, it was then the Lone Wanderer spotted the lit Molotov in the Centurion's hands. Clearly knowing his intentions he tried to warn them but the Molotov was well on its way. Time slowed to a crawl as he entered V.A.T.S the Pip-Boy informed him he had a 20% chance of hitting the target and with only three shots the odds weren't in his favor.

' _I have to try anyway.'_ He thought as he confirmed his target. The first shot clearly went wild as did the second one. The third shot skimmed the side of the bottle but ultimately missed. Thinking that he failed them the Molotov suddenly exploded in midair in a fiery blazed. The Lone Wanderer knew he wasn't the one who fired that shot which only left the Courier. He turned to look over at the Courier who had broken from cover to get a clearer shot.

"Don't you know how to shoot?" he asked nonchalantly but it was short lived as the Lone Wanderer saw a bullet hit the Courier in the shoulder knocking him to the ground, he quickly pull the Courier behind his cover and gave him a look over.

"You really are insane." He told him.

"63rd person to say that, Amata's the 62nd." He grimaced, as he looked at his shoulder, his armor had stopped the penetration but it was going to leave a mark.

"Is he alright?" Amata asked.

"I'll live." The Courier answered.

"Damn." She retorted.

Kieran's squad moved into position keeping the remaining legionnaires behind cover.

"We're almost there." She told them, it was then she noticed the gates starting to open.

"I really hope that our men." One of the NCR soldiers said.

"We all do." Kieran agreed as they waited to see who would come through, surprisingly it was a two headed Brahmin carrying supplies on its back along with a couple of guards and traders from the Crimson Caravan. There was a pause in slight disbelief between the groups as no one was expecting their sudden appearance.

"Kill the profligates and take the Caravan." The Centurion quickly ordered.

"Cover that Caravan!" Kieran quickly ordered her men to counter.

Not wanting to die at the hands of Legionnaires the Crimson Caravan guards opened fired immediately.

"Great, now I have to check my aim." The Courier mumbled as he readied his sequoia. He popped out from his cover and fired taking down three more men leaving the Centurion and seven other's left.

"Order your men to stand down, there's nowhere to go." Kieran demanded.

"As if I would listen to a profligate worm! A woman no less!" the Centurion spat.

"Courier, kindly do me a favor and kill that bastard!" Kieran yelled outraged.

"In due time, in due time." The Courier retorted.

Seeing as the situation was a lost caused the Centurion gave the order to charge the gates.

Amata could see legionnaires being gunned down as they made a mad charge for the gates and the Caravan that blocked their way. Of the remaining seven only one legionnaire manage to make it past and out the gates the Centurion however wasn't as fortunate and was lying in a pull of his own blood but still breathing.

"Why would he even give that order?" Amata asked Kieran as they regrouped.

"Most likely to informed the Legate of what has happened." Kieran answered solemnly.

The Courier walked over to where the Centurion laid and kneelt down.

"Well hey there bullet sponge, couldn't help but notice you're kind of dying. Sucks doesn't it?" the Courier gloated.

"The Legate… will have your head." The Centurion coughed out.

"Yeah I doubt it, but hey since you're going to hell before him, how about you tell Caesar I said hi." The Courier remarked. The Centurion mouthed something in audible.

"I'm sorry couldn't quite hear that with all that blood filling your lungs. Care to repeat that?" the Courier asked leaning a little closer. The Centurion smiled before spitting blood onto the Courier's face.

"Glory… to…. the Legion." He hissed as the rest of his life left him. The Courier stood up and wiped the blood from his cheek before emptying his Sequoia into the dead Centurion's face completely decimating it.

"I know it's a waste, but I really hope he felt that." He muttered to himself.

"Well that was… excessive, nevertheless thanks for the assist." Major Kieran said as her men went to check on the Caravan.

"We were just passing through, speaking of which we should get a move on. The suns going to be coming up soon and the last thing we need are pursuers so the sooner we leave the better." The Courier said stifling a yawn.

"Well good luck and God speed." Kieran told them as the trio set out.

As the sun began to rise once again blessing the Mojave wasteland with its sunlight the three had managed to put a considerable amount of distance between themselves and the town of Freeside. Amata always appreciated the sunrise, it meant that today was a new day and with it hope for a better tomorrow. She wondered how Cass and Veronica were doing and hoped to see them again soon.

"Don't worry about them, I'm sure there fine." The Lone Wanderer said trying to ease her mind.

"I give them three… four days tops." The Courier noted to Amata's chagrin.

"You know it wouldn't kill you to be just a bit optimistic." She scorned.

"It wouldn't but it's kind of hard to be when you see what's behind you." He retorted as he turned and pointed back towards Freeside.

Amata and the Lone Wanderer turned to see the grim sight the Courier saw. As the sun began to cast its rays of light revealing that which had lurked in the shadows of night the Legion Army had managed to surround the city of New Vegas like a swarm of bugs on a carcass, their numbers impossible to count. The smoke from the bombing still hung in the air from the day before casting a gray over cast over Freeside.

The siege had begun.

The sight made Amata's heart sink but it made their mission all the more important. She turned away holding back the tears in her eyes.

"I'll come back for them." She promised herself.

" **We** will." The Lone Wanderer agreed.

"Then let's get a move on." The Courier said leading the way.

 **AN: Thanks for reading and for all the support!**


	27. Run faster than my Artillery

**AN: Woah it's been a while! Here have a chapter!**

North of Freeside the Legion army set up a base of operations from which they could monitor the siege. There the Legate stood watching and issuing orders with unquestionable authority. The Legate's confidence could be felt by all as his plan to separate and conquer was showing to be very effective against the profligates of the NCR. Not much could sour his mood this day that was until a bedraggled foot soldier came running into the camp. A scout from the telltale of his uniform he noted. The soldier had just barely entered the Legates presence when he immediately fell to his knees.

"Legate… we were unable to secure the Crimson Caravans and the Gun Runner's arsenal." The lowly soldier began, it was evident that he had ran a considerable amount of miles to inform the Legate of his failure and was equally well aware of what his punishment would be, even then the Legate could tell the soldier was withholding something.

"And what of your scout leader and fellow brothers?" the Legate menacingly inquired. By now most of the camp had started to turn their attention to the interaction between the two but none dared to stop working. A moment of silence passed before one of the soldiers superiors stepped in.

"The Legate demands an answer from you!" he roared as he moved to punish the insubordinate but stopped in his tracks as the Legate raised his hand to holt him. The Legate stepped closer causing his shadow to fall over the man, with a unforgiving punt to the soldier's ribcage sending him a good two feet away from him. The Legate could feel the soldier's ribs breaking against his armor but that didn't matter to him as he walked over and wrapped his hand around his neck, in a show of brute strength he deadlifts the soldier with little effort and held him above his head.

"I will not repeat myself." The Legate growled from under his mask, by now the entire camp had stopped working to watch, some in awe but most in terror.

"The… Courier." The soldier managed to choke out. The mere mention of the Courier caused the Legate to slowly begin squeezing the neck.

"Is he still in the city?" the Legate demanded. To which the soldier could only shake his head no.

"Where." The Legate demanded with such intensity he felt he could turn the man to ash in his hand.

"East." The soldier choked out as his eyes began to roll to the back of his head as his conscience began to leave him. With an audible _'SNAP'_ that could've been heard throughout the camp the Legate dropped the limp lifeless body to the ground.

"Centurion Aemilius." The Legate barked.

"At your command." The Centurion snapped to.

"Take your men and head east, contact any Frumentarii in the area and hunt the Courier down. I will not be undone by this individual." The Legate ordered.

"As you command." The Centurion acknowledged and went to collect his men.

The Legate looked around the camp which had come to a complete stop as if awaiting orders.

"BACK TO WORK!" he roared.

 _Achoo!_ The Courier let out a sneeze.

"Don't tell me you're catching a cold." The Lone Wanderer deadpanned.

"How the hell do you catch a cold in all this heat?" Amata bemoaned wiping sweat off her forehead. The blazing sun had been sitting high in the sky for hours beaming unforgiving rays of light and heat down on the trio as they headed east.

"Can you tell us where we're going?" the Lone Wanderer asked the Courier.

"Nope." Came his simple reply.

"Can you at least tell us if we're even remotely close?" Amata asked, a bit convinced that even the sun was trying to kill her.

"We're almost there, just got to get pass one small obstacle." The Courier answered as they stopped in the shade of a prewar overpass.

"Obstacle? What obstacle? You didn't say there would be obstacles!" Amata said a bit hysterical from heat exhaustion.

"What is this obstacle?" the Lone Wanderer asked noticing that the Courier had started stretching his arms and legs.

"Nothing major, just a quick run." He answered before doing a couple breath exercises.

"Quick run my ass." The Lone Wanderer muttered as he took the opportunity to stretch his legs.

"Seriously, what is it?" Amata demanded.

"Just think of it as a race between the three of us." The Courier said as he patted her on the shoulder as he made his way to the edge of the shadow of the overpass. He took up a runner's starting position and the Lone Wanderer followed suit. Amata reluctantly lined up beside them.

"Where's the finish line?" the Lone Wanderer asked almost as if challenging the Courier.

"The chain linked fence on the other side of this field." The Courier smirked.

Amata could already feel her heart racing as the Courier counted them down.

"3…2…you know what would make this a lot better? Some music!" he exclaimed.

Amata had almost face planted at the Courier's sudden abruption and chewed on her lower lip in annoyance as the Courier shifted through radio frequencies before settling on a song.

' _I can see that lone star from a thousand mile away…'_ it began just as the Courier took off.

"Should've known he'd cheat." The Lone Wanderer muttered as he chased after him with Amata in tow.

Amata could still hear the Courier's radio as the song as she did her best to catch up.

' _Lone star shine down on my home town. Fill my memory light my way.'_ It was then she could hear a low whistle starting to grow louder soon followed by an explosion which shook the ground beneath her.

"Are you seriously taking us through a minefield?" Amata yelled in surprised.

' _Cattle in the old corral, the open range all 'round. Sunlight and the smell of new mown hay'_

The song was cut off by another explosion only a bit closer.

"This isn't a minefield, Amata!" the Lone Wanderer yelled over the noise.

"More of a field of artillery." The Courier yelled.

"Wait! Someone is shooting at us!?" she exclaimed.

"That's kind of how artillery works. Remember to serpentine!" the Courier advised.

Amata could see the chain linked fence, or the 'finish line' as the Courier had put it. It didn't look any closer than it did when they had started and in between them rows of demolished houses and wrecked cars littered the landscape all looked like that it had been blasted to pieces repeatedly.

' _I know my home is waiting for me by the river shore. I know that all the ones I love would welcome me once more.'_

Another explosion went off this time knocking Amata off her feet, she could actually feel the heat from the blast knocking her away as rocks and dirt pelted her. She felt disorientated as she struggled to her feet. She felt someone pulling her up, it was the Lone Wanderer as he pushed her ahead of him urging her to keep running.

' _I remember though I've wandered and much happiness I've found. Still I wish that I could be back there today.'_

Two explosions rock the ground this time as a car's fusion reactor went off sending it careening through the air towards Amata, at the same time she tripped over her own foot causing her face to suddenly introduce itself to the cracked asphalt. The car arced over her and demolished what was left of a house's foundation. She peeled herself off the ground and took a glance around and didn't see neither the Lone Wanderer nor the Courier, a sickening feeling of loneliness gripped her stomach as she set her sights on the chain linked fence. With a burst of adrenaline fueled energy she made a b-line straight for the fence. She could hear her heart pumping over the ringing in her ears as explosions just became background noise and vibrations.

' _In dreams I see them now though it seems I'm bound to roam. My thoughts are still of home.'_

Amata leaped for the fence and gripped it with all her might. A few moments passed as she discovered that the shelling had stopped, she could hear laughter as she caught her breath and discovered it was coming from her.

"I can't believe I made it!" she laughed hysterically.

"Hold it right there!" a woman commanded. Amata's laughter began to subside as she glanced over at her and the rocket launcher that sat on her shoulders.

"Oh, fuck you." She retorted still out of breath.

"Care to explain what the hell you're doing here?" the woman demanded.

"Can you at least lower the launcher? I'm with the Courier." Amata answered.

"Being with the Courier doesn't exactly earn you brownie points with the Boomers." The woman responded frankly.

' _Of course why would this place be any different, Amata?_ ' she mentally chided herself.

"Now Raquel, you'll never make friends with an attitude like that." The Courier jokingly chastised. Amata didn't even notice he had came up behind her but the woman now known as Raquel did and adjusted her aim more towards the Courier than her.

"Did you see him out there?" Amata asked a bit worried.

"Yeah a bit of him over there, and a another bit over there. Hell maybe some in your hair." The Courier answered. Amata quickly brushed through her hair only knocking bits and pieces of dirt and rock to the Courier's amusement.

"Nope haven't seen him since these idiots began shelling us, was kind of busy running for my life." The Courier finally relented to Amata's frustration.

"That's not funny." She fumed.

"Anyone mind addressing the woman with the rocket launcher!" Raquel demanded a bit annoyed at being ignored.

"You know I never pegged you as the attention whore type." The Courier replied.

"Not exactly smart insulting a woman holding us at gunpoint with a rocket launcher!" Amata scolded.

"And it's definitely not smart holding me at gunpoint." The Courier countered as he locked eyes with Raquel.

"Rocket beats bullet jackass." Raquel growled.

"Oh 199 so close to the 200th slot." The Courier mockingly told her as his hand began to hover over his sequoia. Amata could feel the intensity in the air as seconds ticked by.

"You and I both know this won't end well for you. The time it takes for a rocket to leave it's firing tube is more than enough time for me to put a bullet in it and make it detonate prematurely, which in turn will make a very nasty mess out of your very nice body." The Courier noted with a smirk. Amata could see Raquel weighing the probability as she tensed up.

" _sigh_ , I'm going to have to ask you both to calm the hell down." The Lone Wanderer said as he decloaked, his plasma rifle aimed at Raquel's back.

"Well aren't you full of surprises." The Courier noted.

"Wait… you had _another_ stealth boy?" Amata exclaimed surprised.

"I always carry a backup." The Lone Wanderer stated matter-of-factly as if he expected her to know this about him.

"Asshole." Amata called him incredulously.

"Oh so she calls you that too." The Courier remarked.

"Yeah I get the felling she calls me that." The Lone Wanderer stated before nudging the muzzle of his plasma rifle against Raquel's back.

"Now if you would kindly lower you weapon." He ordered to which she begrudgingly complied.

"What do you want?" she asked a bit soured.

"We're just here to retrieve a coin, we be in and out before you know it." The Lone Wanderer said as he lowered his rifle as a sign of good faith.

"Then you'll want to speak to Mother Pearl. She over in the hangar today." Raquel reluctantly told him.

"See now that wasn't so hard now was it." The Courier coyly smiled.

"Just hurry up so you can leave." She said as she stormed off.

"Don't pay her no mind, we do this song and dance every time." The Courier said as he walked off toward the hanger.

Amata walked over to the Lone Wanderer and punched him in the shoulder. Though she ended up hurting her fist than him.

"What was that for?" The Lone Wanderer asked a bit confused.

"For scarring me! I thought you were blown to pieces!" she scolded but she was relieved that he was alive.

The Lone Wanderer rubbed his shoulder looking back at the Courier.

"Does this happen everywhere he goes?" he asked.

"Oh you have no idea." She answered.

 **AN: It's been waaaaaay to long since I've updated and I am sorry for the very long wait. (hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter.)**


End file.
